


Surviving Beacon Hills (A Teen Wolf/ Shadowhunters Crossover)

by perksofbeingtrash



Series: Beacon Hills [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Beacon Hills, Blood, Crossover, Downworlders, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Nephilim, Original Character(s), Underage Drinking, shadowhunter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2019-08-22 22:32:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 30,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16606655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perksofbeingtrash/pseuds/perksofbeingtrash
Summary: Savannah Lightwood-Bane moved to Beacon Hills with the intention of starting fresh. Her dads, Magnus and Alec, had insisted on coming with her.  With one father being a shadowhunter and the other a warlock, she had a pretty interesting life. Everything changed when her powers came in, then add in a werewolf pack with a strawberry blonde banshee.Based off of The Mortal Instruments and Teen WolfDisclaimer: I do not own characters of either franchise, I only own Savannah.





	1. Welcome to Beacon Hills

"Honey, are you sure you don't want to stay here with Jace ,Clary, Simon, and Izzy?" dad asked me for the 30th time this week.

"Dad, if you and bubba are going to Beacon Hills in California, I'm coming with you guys." I replied with a smile.

Dad and bubba were getting reassigned to the institute in California. More like bubba was getting reassigned. He was going to be the head of the institute.

Dad looked at me, no glamour, and his cat eyes bore into my deep blue eyes. He quickly blinked and nodded his head.

Let me explain a bit. My name is Savannah Lightwood-Bane. You may recognize the second part of my last name. Bane, as in the High Warlock of Brooklyn Magnus Bane. Yeah, that's my dad. As for the other name you noticed, bubba, that's my other dad. His official name is Alec Lightwood. They adopted me when I was 2 weeks old. They had insisted on an infant to simulate having a baby of their own.

Dad, as mentioned before, is a warlock and bubba is a shadowhunter. They've been the best parents a girl could ask for. They are the most loving and supportive. Being the lesbian daughter of gay dads is pretty humorous.

They have been married for about 3 years. They wanted to wait until I was old enough to understand that they were getting married. They wanted to make sure that they showed me that all love is sacred.

Back to the current moment.

Bubba comes strolling into the living room wearing his signature black jeans and a fairly dark colored sweater. His dark hair was hanging in his eyes as he leaned down to give me a kiss on the forehead.

"Hey, what's this discussion about?" He asked with a look in his eyes that showed he already knew what it was about.

"Dad still wants me to stay here, in New York, with Jace, Clary, Simon, and auntie. I don't want to be here while you guys go to the other side of the country." I explained to bubba.

"Now, darling, I explained to her that we would portal whenever convenient." Dad said looking at bubba.

"Well, I'm with Savvy. Let's get packed." Bubba said with a wink walking to get the apartment packed.

\----

2 weeks later the apartment had been packed up and dad had put Raphael in charge of the property. The luggage and furniture was picked up by a moving company, while dad created a portal for the 3 of us and we were on our way.

The portal blew my hair around my face, bubba held tight to my hand so I wouldn't slip out too soon. I swear he still thinks I'm 5. Being 17 means that I can portal without holding hands with either of them. But being the child of a warlock, adoptive or not, means my powers should come in soon. 

Dad said that since I'm able to peer through the glamours of the shadow world and since I've been in the presence of his magical aura, I'm more susceptible to get my powers by my 18th birthday. Some clarification, my birthday is in 4 weeks.

As the portal journey came to an end, we all bent our legs and braced for the impact of the hard ground rising to meet us.

When the wind subsided, I was met with the sight of the California institute. It rose high above the other buildings on the street. As we walked up the steps bubba took out his stele and opened the door with a rune. The doors swung open and we were greeted by the hustle and bustle of other shadowhunters. They all quickly greeted us and went about their daily routine. 

Dad and bubba led the way to wing that held our rooms.

Bubba opened the door to my room turned to me and with a smile said,

"Welcome to Beacon Hills."


	2. First Day Sparks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is also on my wattpad in a more updated version. My wattpad is @perksofbeingwriter4.

My alarm clock on Monday was a rude awakening. The music blared as my bleary eyes adjusted to the lighting in the room. I quickly pressed snooze and proceeded to roll over, back into the warm comfort of my duvet.

Maybe 30 minutes later, I heard the calling out of bubba,

"Savannah, if you're not up by now you're gonna be late!"

I quickly shot up in bed, frantically searching in my bed for my phone. The time read 7:19. Apparently the portal left me jet lagged because now I barely had time to get dressed before having to leave in 10 minutes. I scrambled out of bed and quickly grabbed a red flannel, jeans, combat boots, and a white tee shirt.

Since I took a shower last night, I quickly brushed my hair and sprayed perfume. I grabbed my backpack and hustled down the hall and descended down the stairs in an unceremonious way. I grabbed an apple and made my way to the common room where bubba stood with dad on the balcony.

"Good morning," I greeted them while taking a bite of my apple.

"Mornin' sunshine," bubba greeted me with a kiss on the forehead.

"You gotta get going if you wanna make it on time. Remember to watch your surroundings, there are bad downworlders here too. Not all are like Luke and Simon," Dad said while looking down to the street below.

"Ok, I got it. See you guys later. Love you!" I yelled running out of the common room, down 5 flights of stairs and out the front door.

I made my way down the street and put the address of the school into maps. I followed the directions until I could see the building up ahead. I pocketed my phone and made my way into the parking lot of the high school. As I made my way into the parking lot, I was nearly run over by a run down blue jeep. The driver paid me no mind while the girl in the passenger seat gave me a look of apology. I only got a glimpse at the girl, but all I saw was strawberry blonde hair.

I shook out my hands and felt the normal tingle that comes with my nearing 18th birthday. I've mentioned my 18th birthday twice now, I should give some specifics. On my 18th birthday, I will gain my powers. According to dad, my powers will mostly be a mix of shadowhunter and warlock. This means that I will be able to wear runes, have a stele, and yet also be able to bear magic. This day will come and I will need to be ready.

I walked through the doors of the school and the throng of people pushed back and forth, so I just made my way through the best I could. When I finally made my way to the front office, I gave them my transfer papers and in turn I received my schedule.

I thanked the receptionist and went to find my locker. Its number was 364. Once I found it, I used the combination and of course I couldn't unlock the lock.  I tried two more times before I grabbed the lock and just yanked it. The lock, of course, didn't budge. I huffed out a sigh before heading to class, with all of my books.

I made my way into the calculus class and felt the eyes of 20 students staring at the new girl. I gave the teacher my slip and she announced my name to the class as I made my way to an empty seat.

As I took my seat, two boys sat behind me, I turned my head slightly to see who they were; dad said to stay alert. One of them was tall, pale and skinny. He had a collection of moles spread across his face. He was rambling a mile a minute, while whispering, so his words were reduced to a jumble of sounds.

The other boy had tan skin, his hair was dark and his jawline seemed to be uneven. He was attractive, but not my cup of tea.

Before the teacher even began writing on the board, a girl sat at the desk next to mine. I looked over to see that it was the strawberry blond girl from the blue jeep earlier. She looked over at me and gave me a smile as she pulled out her pencils and notebooks. I was so caught up in her beauty it didn't register to me that I was staring.

I blinked a couple of times before pulling out my supplies and began to take the notes that the teacher had started writing. I wrote the notes but the entire time I kept sneaking glances at the girl to my right.

~~~

"How was your day hun?" Dad asked me as he lounged on the couch in the common room. He held a glass of wine as bubba poured himself a glass of whiskey behind the couch at the bar.

"It was fine. Classes, notes, people, same as New York." I said sitting and curling into the blanket that had been draped over dad's legs. I laid my head on his lap and he proceed to run his hand through my hair.

"What's up kiddo?" Bubba asked me as he watched my intense look as I stared across the room.

"Nothing, just tired." I said feeling the soothing feeling of dad's fingers in my hair. Soon I was sleep without any thought of doing my homework.

"Well once you do your homework, then you can sleep." Bubba said shaking my shoulder.

I nodded as I sat up. I stretched feeling the satisfying pop of the joints in my shoulders. As I felt the joints pop, the blue sparks jumped between the spaces of my fingers.

"Well that is getting stronger," Dad said watching as the sparks died down. 

I looked at my hands and turned them over, trying to catch a glance at the sparks that had faded away.

"Yeah, it's been happening more often since my birthday is getting closer." I said as I stood from the couch.

We all headed to the dining room and began to prepare our dinner. Our casual banter filled the room and every so often, the blue sparks would come and go. 

My new normal.


	3. Introduction

The next few weeks went by pretty fast. I had only made 2 friends at Beacon Hills High, their names were Stiles and Malia. They seem pretty cool. They introduced me to the rest of their friend group; a boy named Scott who's a senior, a sophomore named Liam, Liam's girlfriend named Ryder, and the strawberry blonde who is a senior and her name is Lydia. They let me into their circle of friends and were pretty open minded and understanding of my having two dads. We all got along great, and they were even more accepting when I told them I was gay.

Since becoming friends with the group, I have been happier and days went by fast. Bubba and dad noticed the change and they were happy that I was adjusting well to the move.

"So, when can we meet these new friends of yours" dad asked as he sat on the couch beside me.

"I don't know. As far as I know, they're all mundanes. That means they shouldn't be allowed to enter the institute." I said, continuing to type on my laptop.

"We could let the wards down and glamour the building to look like an apartment complex." Bubba said bringing me some of the leftover takeout from the kitchen.

"I guess, just please don't embarrass me like in New York." I said with a chuckle.

"In my defense, I thought you were dating Samantha!" Dad laughed as he made his comment.

"I was dating Maxine and was going to break it off, but you helped me there." I burst into a fit of giggles as I ate the lo mein from the white carton.

I decided that I would invite them over after school tomorrow.

~~~~~

"So my parents wanted to know if you guys wanted to come over after school today." I looked at the group as they looked at each other.

"Sure, what's the address?" Scott, gave the ultimate answer.

"It's the apartment complex off Edmund street. Apartment 32, its the Lightwood-Bane residence." I told them.

"What are your parents like?" Stiles asked looking at me.

"Yeah, you haven't told us about them." Lydia said tilting her head to the side. Her hair fell in her face and I almost choked on my own breath at how beautiful she looked. Control yourself, she's straight.

"Well, I'm adopted. My dads raised me from an infant. Their names are Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood, hence my hyphenated last name." I looked around the group as they processed all that I had said.  

"They are loving and super sweet. They are extremely embarrassing and they are looking forward to meeting all of you."

~~~

Bzzzzzz

The buzzer sounded relaying the information that my friends had arrived.

Dad and Bubba finished setting out the snacks and made their way to the door and buzzed the group in. They opened the door and greeted the group as they walked in the door.

Though the outside was glamoured, the inside still looked like the common room of the institute. As far as I could tell, all of them were mundanes and nothing was giving them away. We all sat around and talked while munching on the snacks that my dads had provided.

All was going well until Bubba got a call. He whispered to dad and dad nodded as Bubba picked up his jacket. He went into their bedroom and grabbed his hunting gear.

"It was nice meeting you all, but I have to run out for a while," Bubba said and kissed me on the forehead.

"Be safe out there. I don't know these hunters as well as Uncle Jace and Aunt Clary." I whispered to him.

I saw Scott, Liam, and Ryder all tense when I was whispering. I think dad and Bubba saw it too.

After Bubba left, dad made us his famous ice cream sundaes and we all binged and ate our hearts out.

When they all left, they said polite goodbyes and disappeared down the hallway. Dad wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"I like your new friends."

"So do I." I answered thinking exclusively about the strawberry blond


	4. Sparks Fly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: In this chapter, some homophophic statements are made by a character. These are not my personal views of the LGTBQ+ community (which I am part of). I apologize if these statements upset or offend anyone.

Mornings were the worst in the Lightwood-Bane household. My dad and I were nighthawks while, surprisingly, Bubba was an early bird. Though Saturdays were a break from the world of school, dad still had his clients and Bubba was always on the lookout for demon attacks in the area. I'm still not sure why we were needed here in California so urgently, nothing remotely demonic was really happening. Dad was happy to be spending more time with Bubba and I just tried to avoid all of the random moments of PDA.

"Oh come on, all I wanted was a glass of water." I groaned with a laugh walking into the kitchenette in our "suite" in the institute. 

Dad was perched on the kitchen counter and Bubba was nestled between his legs. Bubba had his head in the crook of dad's neck and dad had his legs draped around Bubba's waist. Bubba's dark black hair was tousled and I didn't want to know what had happened prior to my entering.

"All we wanted was a moment alone," Dad said with a glint in his cat eyes. He always wore his warlock mark freely around the house; no glamour needed. Bubba and I loved the feline feature that only we got to see.

"Well, I'll just get my water and leave you two be." I stated walking to the refrigerator with my glass in hand. I pressed the glass the the water spout and waited for the glass to fill up. Once the glass was full I made my way out of the kitchen.

"Ok, well I'll be in my room." I waved over my shoulder. In the process of wiggling my fingers, blue sparks shot out and struck the air above dad and Bubba's heads. The yelped in surprise and Bubba instinctively protected Dad's head.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry!" I cried out as the smoke cleared the air.

"It's fine sweetie, this will happen as it gets closer to the coming of your birthday. Just try to contain it." Dad said smoothing down his hair as if I hadn't almost fried his to a crisp.

"Okay," I said sheepishly as I continued out of the kitchen. The last thing I saw before the door closed was Dad pulling Bubba closer by his belt loops.

~~~~

"So how was your weekend?" Lydia asked me at my locker Monday morning.

I glanced to my left at the Strawberry blond and noticed how the morning light literally made her glow.

"It was fine, I just hung out with my dads. They had some 'quality time' and I just helped run some errands. What about you?"

As she was about to answer, Scott and Stiles ran up to her and were breathing rapidly.

"What's up with you guys?" I asked eying the two boys.

"Field. Liam. Ball. Brett. Bad." Stiles huffed out, as if I knew what the hell he meant. Who the hell was Brett?

I looked to Lydia for some insight but she just widened her eyes and took off with the two boys towards the lacrosse fields, leaving me in the dust. I just rolled my eyes and walked in the direction of my next class. I know that if something really important, they would have asked me to come.

I watched as the three of them rushed down the hallway towards the fields and began my walk to my study hall. As I walked down the hallway, whispers filled my ears. Girls and guys alike whispered and stared as I passed. It just so happened that I passed Ryder, Liam's girlfriend. I pulled her aside.

"Why are people staring a me?"

"Well, you are the new girl. You're openly gay. People have figured out that you like Lydia. Well everyone but Lydia, Scott, and Stiles. Plus, you have two dads." She explained in a low voice.

I looked at her with wide eyes. I thought I was being discreet with my glances, apparently I wasn't.

I simply nodded and returned to walking down the corridor. A blond and her group of friends eyed me before the blonde yelled, 

"Where are you going, Dyke?" her friends snickered and I stopped dead in my tracks.

I hated the word- it was demeaning and rude. I turned to face the group of girls.

"What was that?" I said back, just as loud. By now the entire hallway was tuned into the drama starting in front of them.

"You heard me, dyke. What are you gonna do, go tell your dads?"

I was fine with taking this abuse, but I don't like when people bash my family.

"What about my dads?" I asked her inching my way closer to her.

"I just think it's bad for a girl to be raised by two men in the same house. I think it imprints something disgusting and inhuman." She said crossing her arms over her chest and lifting her head higher in the air. 

At this point I glanced around the hallway, the students were gathering and staring. It was silent as everyone waited with anxious breaths- would I punch the girl? Would the climax end with me leaving? My anger was rising and I could feel the electricity racing towards the surface of my skin, my fingertips felt alive as the magical sparks ran through my veins- the hum was enticing.

I glanced to see that Lydia, Stiles, Scott, and now Liam were all standing amongst the crowd. Lydias eyes seemed to plead with me not to start a fight. The girl in front of me, who is so irrelevant she doesn't even need a name, saw my gaze staying on Lydia and made a final jab.

"Oh, are you looking to your little girl toy for help?"

I glared at her and I let out a scream, a God awful scream, and I ran at her. The teens in the hall stared wide eyed as the new girl, the new gay girl, ran at the other girl. In the process the sparks were set free and the hall was filled with blue electricity. The girl in front of me screamed and attempted to run but I caught her wrists and the sparks moved up her arms.

She shook as the shockwaves racked through her body. The students that had gathered began to scream and scatter- but not my 4 friends. They all stood there in shock as I let go of the defenseless mundane and let her fall to the ground. I still have a week to go until my powers come in fully.

The girl laid on the floor in a slump. Her body twitched as the sparks began to leave her body. I took deep breaths and realized- I just showed a school of mundanes my magic. Tears began to form in my eyes as I looked up to face my friends. Liam rushed to the girl and took her to the nurse. Scott and Stiles stared at me in shock. Lydia looked conflicted- awe and pain etched in her features. I backed away as I saw them start towards me. I turned and ran down the hall at full speed, bursting through the front doors, stumbling down the stairs, and running home to the institute. School be damned, I ran like a bat out of hell. 

Dad and Bubba were gonna be pissed.


	5. Messes and Lost Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The break in the middle of the chapter is a third person view of the situation. It was originally was in italics, but it didn't carry over.

"You did what?" Bubba asked me pacing the common area. I had explained to dad and Bubba about the incident.

"I just ran. I didn't know what to do. All of the mundanes saw me." I saw, keeping my eyes trained on the floor. Tears threatened to spill but I held them back.

I heard Bubba take a deep breath and heard his foot steps disappear to the office area, I knew he had to call the Clave. The Clave is like the government of the shadowhunters. All things have to be reported to them, especially when those things involve mundanes.

Dad sat next to me on the couch and I curled into his side. Neither of them had let me go back to school and insisted that I stay in their sight, in case my powers made a reappearance.

Dad ran his fingers through my hair. A tear fell, then another, which led to the sobs escaping my body. He just sat a rocked me back and forth as I cried. I felt like I screwed everything up and now I was in some deep shit.

"Daddy, I messed up and I- I don't know what to do. I was doing so well." I cried as Dad cooed and rubbed soothing circles in my back. I began to drift off feeling the magic seep from Dad's hand into my back. Damn spell. 

I tried to resist the sweet pull of sleep, but eventually I had to give in.

~~

"Magnus, the Clave wants you to spell the school. Cover up what happened. Make up whatever story. They also think it would be best to wipe this from Savannah's mind. If she knew she did this, the guilt could manifest in the form of stronger magic." Alec said pacing the room.

Savannah wouldn't be sleep for long. The sleeping spell would be temporary, so they had to move fast.

"You know I don't approve of using magic on our daughter." Magnus spat out at his husband.

Alec kept a still face as he walked closer to Magnus. He wrapped his arms around the man and pulled him close.

"We don't know what magic will claim her. We have to protect her. With her birthday in a week, we need to be ready." Alec whispered, giving his husband a small kiss on the top of his head.

"I'll wipe her memory, but we can't let her know what she did. This will all be a thing of the past."

~~

I woke up in my room. The shades were open so the setting sun sent orange rays into my room. The clock on my bedside table said 6:13. I felt like I was supposed to do something. I racked my brain but nothing would come.

I pulled back my blankets and I saw that I was in clothes for school, but I didn't remember anything from the day. I pulled myself from the warmth of my bed and went in search of Bubba and Dad.

"Daddy?" I asked down the hall. The only noise was the whir of the institute machines upstairs.

"Bubba?" I continued my search until I came to the room they shared. I knocked and walked in to see them both asleep on their bed. Dad was snuggled into Bubba's side and they seemed so at peace that it seemed. I just quietly shut the door and went in search of food. 

I sat at the kitchen counter with my newfound pint of butter pecan ice cream and divulged in the flavors. With my birthday next week, I felt like my body was buzzing with energy. Every fiber in my body was electrified and alive. Just thinking about the magic running through my veins caused the little blue sparks to jump between my fingers. I took a deep breath and watched until the last spark had died away.

Once I finished my not so healthy meal, I decided to go meet up with Scott and the others. I tried to think of where they said they would be tonight, but it was all fuzzy. I couldn't remember anything except coming home. I wrote a note to Bubba and Dad telling them where I will be.

I grabbed a jacket and headed to Scott's house, with my luck they will all be there and will want to hang out. 

I made my way down the sidewalk towards Scott's house and just relished in the quiet sounds as the night made an appearance. I like it here in Beacon Hills, less hectic than New York and it seemed that nothing demonic or supernatural was happening in this town.


	6. Growing Pains

As I made my way up the steps to Scott's front door, it swung open to reveal Stiles in the process of walking out the door.

"Hey Stiles, what's up?" I asked trying to keep the boy from plowing over me.

"Nothing, headed to the station to take my dad dinner," He said gesturing to the bag of Chinese takeout food in his hand.

I merely stepped out of his way and waved him off so he could go supply his father with food. I watched as he pulled out of the driveway and his jeep made its way down the street. When I turned around, Lydia was standing in the doorframe, but she looked a little different than usual. Her usual preppy, stylish look was replaced with baggy sweatpants and an oversized tee shirt with her hair piled on top of her head in a bun. Some strands of her hair had fallen out and were framing her face.

I was stuck at the threshold taking in her disheveled look; she was stunning. I took a deep breath and smiled at her.

"Hey Lyds, what's up?" I asked, acting as if she didn't make my palms go clammy and send butterflies flying in my stomach.

"Scott and Stiles wanted to have a study session so I came over. Liam and Ryder were supposed to come, but they just called and canceled. I was too lazy to bother with a socially acceptable look." She explained opening the door wider, silently inviting me to come into the house. I smiled and nodded as I stepped past her into the house.

Scott was sitting at the kitchen table with books and binders spread around him. He was wearing a simple gray tee shirt and was also sporting sweatpants. 

"Hey Savannah. I didn't know you were coming over tonight." He said getting up to greet me with a small hug. When we disconnected from the hug he gave a large yawn and stretch.

"My dads had a long day and were sleep and I got bored so I decided to walk over here to see what was up." I said beginning to think of ways to bring up that I had a gap in my memory.

"We were just revising for the AP Biology test we have next week." Scott explained as he and Lydia began to pack up the books.

"Oh no, I don't want to interrupt. I can just see you guys tomorrow." I said, trying to keep them from stopping because of me.

"It's no problem. We were practically done anyways." Lydia said.

I nodded and sat down while they packed up their bags. I had only ever been to Scott's house once and it was during the day with everyone here. Looking around I can see all of the little nooks that make it a childhood home. I saw that the fridge was covered in homemade magnets and school pictures of Scott and Stiles.

Lydia and Scott were talking between themselves in low voices when I felt it. 

Shit.

I felt the surge of magic building. My birthday was days away and I wasn't ready for the powers to come in fully. I took deep breaths as I tried to suppress the power building. It was painful to keep it all in with no release and I flinched with every growing surge.

I stood up abruptly, gaining Lydia's attention. Scott was gone, I hadn't noticed him leave the room.

"Are you ok?" Lydia asked reaching out to touch me.

"No! I mean I'm f-fine. My dads texted me, I need to get home." I said flinching away from her and bumping into the chair behind me.

Lydia watched me as I stumbled towards the door and paused. I stared at the doorknob, metal. If I touched it, I could transfer the magic and release the pressure, but my secret would be out.

"Lydia could you come open the door for me?" I asked with pleading eyes .

She nodded and opened the door. I thanked her quickly before running out into the front yard and heading down the street. Once I had made it down 3 blocks, I was in front of the institute.

I ran upstairs, the energy was close to releasing itself, whether I wanted to or not.

I burst into our common room to see dad and Bubba sitting on the couch talking.

"Hey buttercup what's up." Bubba asked.

My response was a yell. A yell full of agony and pain. The magic pushed its way through my body and the room was filled with blue sparks.

Dad ran to my side and tried to take some of the energy but it just surged through him and back into me with gained energy from him.

"Dad! Bubba!" I screamed out as the pain intensified. They looked on with pained expressions, knowing they couldn't do anything.

As the magic died down, I felt empty and hollow. My legs gave out as tears ran down my cheeks. The magic had left me weak and void. The few sparks that were left jumped between my fingers but eventually died away.

As I fell to the floor I heard dad and bubba call out to me and then to a medic. Bubba drew an iratze healing rune on my forearm as dad cradled my head in his lap. Before I fell into the void of my empty mind, I heard him chanting an incantation and at the end he added,

"Help my baby girl."

The void then consumed me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure when I said Savannah's birthday is but it will be taking place in the next chapter.


	7. Birthdays

Today was the day, my birthday.

I woke up to my alarm and I was dreading the day. Today, at any given moment, my powers could come in full force and expose magic to the mundanes that we live around. A knock on my bedroom door pulled me from my thoughts.

"Nghhh," I groaned out.

"Happy birthday to the sweetest girl in the world," Dad said opening the door and making his way to my bedside.

"Where's bubba?" I asked noticing the absence of my raven haired father.

"He was called into a meeting at the crack of dawn, but he gave me this to give to you." Dad replied pulling a slender black box out of the pocket of his robe.

I sat up in bed and pushed the duvet back. I took the box and opened it, inside sat a stele. The silver, inlayed carvings caught the early morning light and the translucent tip glowed with angelic power.

"He thought it was high time you had one of your own." Dad said watching my look of awe.

"It's gorgeous!" I said, once I found the will to use my words.

I took it out of the box and held it in my hand. Being around shadowhunters my entire life, I found a comfortable grip. Inside the box was a note from bubba.

Happy birthday. Today you are a legal adult, both to the mundanes and the nephilim. This stele was picked out by your aunt Izzy and Clary. They thought you would really like it. Magnus has another part to your gift.

Love, bubba.

I smiled at the note and looked up to dad. He stood and walked over to the door, leaned out and picked something up from the floor.

He turned back to me and in his hands he held 2 books. One looked like the gray book, a book full of every rune used by shadowhunters. The other book was bound in dark leather and looked fairly aged.

"This is the gray book, I had a copy brought over from Idris so you can study. Though this institute does have one in the library, I wanted you to have your own. Also this spell book will be helpful when the time comes. The text won't make sense until your powers come in fully, then you will be a full fledged warlock." He stated placing the two books on my bedside table.

My phone began to chime.

Stiles: Happy Birthday! See you at school.

Scott: Happy Birthday, have an awesome day.

Lydia: Happy Happy Birthday xoxo

The hugs and kisses at the end of Lydia's message made my heart flutter and dad could tell that something in my smile that had sprouted on my face was special.

"And who has you smiling at this hour?" He asked raising his eyebrows.

"Nothing, just texts from my friends. I gotta get dressed for school." I said moving from under the duvet and getting put of bed.

He just silently nodded and headed out of the room so that I could get ready for school. Since it was my birthday, I decided to be special with my look for the day.

I showered in my vanilla creme body wash and shampoo, dried and straightened my hair. I put on a little makeup, enough to tell I was wearing some. My outfit consisted of a black skater skirt, a red crop top, and white high top converse. I spritzed some perfume on and picked up my backpack and phone. My stele was stashed in the waistband of my skirt, the irtaze rune that had healed me last night had faded away and was just a faint marking on my arm.

I walked into the kitchen to see that dad had made my lunch and a small container of yogurt sat next to my lunch. I smiled, called out a goodbye and headed out the door. Though I was 18, I had my license, but I didn't have a car. I just opted to walk places.

Once I made it to school and to my locker I smiled. My friends were all gathered around my locker and talking; waiting for me. When they noticed my arrival they all said a collective happy birthday and gave me hugs.

Lydia's hug lingered longer than everyone else's. I smiled as Lydia and Ryder complemented my outfit.

When the bell rang, we all made our way to our respective classes.

Today was going great.

~~

"So what are you doing tonight?" Scott and Stiles asked me as they walked me home. They all wanted to hang out with me for my birthday. Lydia and the others were in tow behind us.

"I was just going to have dinner with my dads and watch a movie -" My sentence was cut off as I felt the surge of power. It was stronger than all of the other surges of power that I had felt in the past.

"Savannah, are you ok?" Ryder asked as she walked up behind me.

"I-I'm fine, I just-" I couldn't finish because I felt my eyes changing; the warlock mark. I must have inherited dad's just like I inherited the aura.

I squeezed my eyes shut and willed the feline feature to recede. I pulled my stele out of my waistband and sent a fire message to dad and bubba. I didn't care if my mundane friends saw.

Help. Powers. HELP.

I sent it and my knees buckled.

"What was that, what's going on?" Stiles asked dropping down beside me.

"Happy birthday to me," I said and then I let go. I let the levee break and all the magic flowed out in one large surge. It knocked all of my friends off their feet and I sat in the middle of the sidewalk as I heard bubba running down the sidewalk towards me.

I looked up at him as he knelt by me and my stunned friends.

"Those eyes look just like his, they're beautiful." I smiled as I felt the burden of all the magic gone. Now it was just a low hum.

How do I explain this to my friends?


	8. Secrets Revealed

Bubba carried me to the institute and told my friends to follow him. Dad met him at the institute door, he was so distracted with taking me from bubba, the glamor on the inside of the institute was down. Scott and his friends watched all of the nephilim walked about with their runes unglamored, their seraph blades in their thigh holsters.

Dad took me in his arms and carried me like he did when I was younger. My arms were wrapped around his neck and my legs dangled limply around his waist. Bubba was worrying over my well being and he forgot that my friends were even there.

"Magnus, we have to do something! Does she need a silent brother? Do we need to call Catarina?" He frantically asked as dad carried me into our suite , bubba, Scott and all my friends in tow.

"No, my love. She is fine. I went through this. The power just needs to steadily build back up." Dad said laying me down on the couch.

My head lulled to the side and I opened my eyes to see the blurry figures of all my friends and my dads.

I blinked away the blurriness and then began to panic.

"The mundanes! Dad they shouldn't be here," I whispered out.

Dad took a deep breath and turned to bubba, they shared a look and turned to my friends.

"Please, sit down. We have some things to talk about." Dad said gesturing to the seats scattered around our living room.

~~

After everyone was settled into their seats, dad and bubba explained everything. By everything, I do mean everything. They went through the origins of shadowhunters and how they were angel blooded beings and downworlders, like dad, were demon blooded. 

They talked of how since I had been around glamors and dad's magical aura had affected me. Bubba explained that runes helped shadowhunters do their jobs.

"Where does that blast of energy come into all of this?" Lydia asked looking at me and my dads.

"Savannah was raised in the house around my aura and since she had such a long exposure, she became part warlock. Seeing as she just turned 18, the powers peaked and now she has the power of a full fledged warlock." Dad said looking over at me.

I was reclined on the couch and everyone was glancing over at me, probably seeing if I would explode again.

"I know all of this may seem strange and impossible to mundanes, or humans, like you." Bubba said looking at all of my friends.

They all shared a look with Scott and he nodded and began to talk.

"Actually, this all isn't too absurd. We were all trying to find a way to tell Savannah this, and I guess now is as good a time as any." He began with a bug breath.

"We are all supernatural beings, or have been." Malia said.

Bubba, Dad, and I were all at a loss for words.

"What do you mean?" I asked them.

"I'm a werewolf. A true alpha. Lydia is a Banshee. Ryder is a fire elemental. Malia is a werecoyote. Liam is a werewolf, my beta. Stiles is human, but for a while he was possessed by an evil Japanese spirit called the nogitsune." Scott explained gesturing to the people in my living room, my friends.

"This is my pack, and we aren't the only supernatural beings in Beacon Hills. Beacon Hills is just that, a beacon." Scott continued.

I looked at the people in the room and was in awe, so many downworlders and even a fire elemental. 

"Elementals are rare, how did one end up in a small town like Beacon Hills?" Dad asked looking at Ryder.

"The hell if we know," Ryder said, flashing her eyes a beautiful purple for effect.

I looked around the room at all of the supernatural beings, Stiles, and my dads; this is my new normal.

"Well, I thought Beacon Hills was a normal little town. Guess I was wrong." I said with a chuckle.


	9. Late Night Confession

Dad and Bubba offered to let everyone stay the night, seeing as they were all very confused and would want to ask more question. Scott, Lydia, and Stiles opted to stay while Ryder, Malia, and Liam headed to their respective homes.

"Why were you so shocked when we told you Lydia was a banshee?" Stiles asked as we laid out some pillows for the impromptu sleepover.

"Well, banshees are the harbingers of death. It's shocking that a town like Beacon Hills would have one. Not much happens here." Bubba explained.

"Well nothing that shadowhunters deal with. We have fought off alpha packs, oni, nogitsune, berserkers, and hunters. Not to mention Le Bête du Gevaudan." Lydia rattled off counting with her perfectly manicured nails.

"Le Bête? I thought it was only a myth." Dad said with a gasp.

"We wish it was, but it wasn't. He wasn't." Scott said, taking the blankets that Dad had brought in. We all opted to stay in the living room, Dad and Bubba would of course stay in their room.

"How are you all still alive?" I asked looking at the three people in front of me.

"We aren't. We lost a lot of our friends to this fight." Stiles said fidgeting with his hands.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." I said feeling stupid at my question.

The room filled with silence with the occasional meow from our cat, Chairman Meow.

The tension broke when Scott let out a belch that puts everyone to shame. Everyone chuckled, soon we were all crying with laughter, who knows why.

Soon we all fell back into casual chatter while Bubba and Dad headed to bed giving me a kiss on the head.

"Your dads are pretty cool," Stiles said adjusting the flannel and t-shirt he was wearing.

"Yeah, they are pretty awesome." I said turning the tv on. I switched the input to put Netflix on and I just decided to choose a random movie.

We all sat, chatted, watched shows and movies and soon fatigue started to creep in. Stiles and Scott receded into their blankets on the floor and soon their snores filled the room. Lydia and I had decided to share the couch. We laid head-to-toe, so her feet were currently beside my head.

"Lyds? Are you up?" I whispered into the dark room.

"Yeah," she said from the other end of the couch, her voice dragging from fatigue.

"Do you ever wonder what your life would be like without all of the strange things we know?"

"I used to, but now I just let the chips fall where they may."

How is it that she was thrown into the world of the supernatural as a harbinger of death, and she's completely and totally fine with it?

"You are absolutely amazing," I said out loud.

There was no response. Soon I heard he deep breaths, sleep had taken her.

What Savannah didn't know, Lydia heard her; and thought the same of the warlock nephilim.


	10. Something There

After that night, everything was out in the open. My shoulders felt light and I could share this part of me with my friends. Lydia began to come over more often and we asked each other about our supernatural experiences. She practically moved into my house, nobody was complaining. Dad, Bubba, and I enjoyed having her around and she had a section of clothed in my closet. 

Albeit, I want more from our relationship than this, but everything has to start from somewhere. She helped me study my spell book and the gray book. I slowly began to recognize more and more runes.

"So, what does the stele feel like on your skin?" She asked me as she looked at the angelic rune on my chest. I was wearing a low cut tank top with running shorts while Lydia wore yoga pants with an oversized t-shirt.

"It feels like a slow burn, like a small fire is being dragged across my skin. It's not unbearable, just enough pain to remember that I'm not only supernatural but human." I explained.

She stood from where she sat on my bed and made her way to me. She traced her left hand across the rune on my chest. Her cold fingertips trailed over my collar bone and towards the newly etched sight rune on my shoulder. She looked at me and in her eyes I saw curiosity and awe.

I blinked and cleared my throat, turning away from her walking towards my dresser. I began to pull my hair into a ponytail.

"I think we should go see what's in the fridge for dinner, or do you have to go home?" I asked her, turning towards where she was standing.

The late afternoon sunlight came through my blinds and caught wisps of her hair. When the light hit those few stray pieces of hair that fell in her face, they seemed to catch fire. My breath caught in my throat and I seemed to be stuck in this moment. I blinked and shook my head slightly to make it seem like I was just deep in thought.

"My mom is out of town for the night, so I'll just stay here." She said moving towards the door.

We headed to the kitchen to search the fridge. Dad and Bubba were out on their weekly date night, so I didn't expect them home any time soon.

"Ok, so we have the chicken stir fry from last night, there is some microwavable tv dinners, or we can just order in Thai." I gave her some options.

"I think we should just finish of the stir fry."

We heated the food up and grabbed some extra chopsticks and moved into the living room. While we ate, we talked and gossiped. We laughed as we cleaned up the remnants of our food and soon we started homework but then more interesting topics came up and the productiveness ended.

"So, do you like anyone at school?" Lydia asked.

"You know all the girls at our school is straight." I said.

"Well you never know, there may be someone out there for you."

I looked over at her and my heart fluttered and I knew she would never go for me. I hoped and dreamed that something would eventually happen, but hope breeds eternal misery.

Lydia looked at Savannah and felt the same flutter, but she couldn't place why it was there. She had never looked at a girl like that, but feelings change.

People change.


	11. Pack Parties

"Alright, so Scott is hosting the sleepover tonight!" Stiles yelled walking up to Lydia and I as we were getting books from my locker. 

Lydia looked a little rumpled, as did I. My alarm went off but we were both so tired it didn't register. So we had to quickly get dressed then I made a portal and we portaled to school, a block away, and booked it. We made it just in time for the bell and now Stiles was holding us up.

"Ok, I guess this happens often," I looked at Lydia who just nodded and smiled.

"So Scotty and I are gonna get the snacks, Liam and Ryder are in charge of games and movies. Lydia, you can help set up before." Stiles began to assign duties.

"What about me and Malia?" I asked, straightening the flannel tied around my waist. 

"Malia is going out of town with Peter so she's out of the picture for this. As for you, you just have to bring your," Stiles paused and looked to his left then the right and leaned in, "stele and spellbook." He said this with a hint of glee in his voice.

"Why?" I asked, feeling the stele in my boot. 

"You'll see tonight." He just said while shrugging.

"Well ok, I'll just have to ask my dads if I can come." I said closing my locker.

"Ok. See you guys tonight!" Stiles called as Lydia and I made our way to our first period.

~~

When I got home, the institute was bustling more that usual. Shadowhunters rushed from screen to screen and talked in hurried voices. I rushed to our wing and opened the door. Dad and Bubba were hunched over the counter, talking with their heads close together.

"What's going on?" I asked placing my bag by the door.

"Demon attack over in the next county. 2 nephilim were killed." Dad said, looking over what seemed to be a case file.

"Why is everyone panicking though?"

"It's the first demon attack since we've been here. The other shadowhunters are just more alert that the ones back in New York." Bubba said, coming over to me and giving me a hug.

"How was your day?" He asked into my hair.

"Good. Uh, my friends are having a sleepover/movie night at Scott's tonight. Would it be ok if I went?" I asked looking up at my raven haired father.

"Sounds fine to me, especially with all that's happening here." Dad said from the counter.

"It's fine with me." Bubba said, giving me a kiss on the top of my head.

"Thanks. I'm gonna go pack my bag."

~~~

An hour in a half later I was standing in front of Scott's front door with my overnight back packed with clothes, toiletries, and my stele was safely tucked into my belt. My spellbook was tucked into my bag.

I didn't have a chance to knock on the door before Stiles opened the door with a piece of pizza hanging from his mouth.

"You guth, Savannath here." He spoke around the pizza.

"Yeah, that's me."

Scott walked up behind Stiles.

"Good to see you. Did you bring your stele and spellbook?" He asked.

I patted my bag as an answer and walked through the door, ready for the night to begin.

~~

"Ok so the rules, you must tell the truth. To ensure that you don't lie, Savannah will cast a truth spell. It will last the duration of the game, then she will remove it." Stiles stated looking around the room looking at all of us. Everyone nodded then looked to me.

"I guess that's my cue."I said then cleared my throat. "Vesmatos trivun, averte truce, chele. Vesmatos Tillate ulaz. There all done."

"Ryder. Truth or dare?'" Lydia asked, eating a twizzler.

"Truth," she answered taking a sip of her drink.

"Ok, how far have you and Liam gone?" Lydia asked with a completely straight face.

Ryder choked on her drink and looked up with her face tinted red. Liam's head snapped over to look at his girlfriend. His eyes were pleading not to tell, seeing as her cousin was his alpha and this could end badly.

"We've had sex. Scott caught me getting a condom from his bathroom. Stiles and Scott teased us the morning after." She said in one breath.

Liam looked mortified as Stiles, Lydia and I burst into fits of laughter. Scott sat mortified looking at his younger cousin.

"Well that was a better answer than I was expecting." Stiles said, a few giggles still leaving his body.

"Ok Stilinski, truth or dare?" I asked the boy.

"Dare," He said automatically.

"I dare you to show us the last text you sent."

He dug into his back pocket and pulled out the slender phone. He opened his messages and his face paled as he saw the screen.

"I-I'd rather not-" before he could finish, Scott snatched away his phone and burst into laughter.

Dad can you pick up more condoms, I dropped the other box in the toilet, they're ruined.

We all burst into fits of laughter while Stiles buried his face in his hands.

"OK Savannah, Truth or dare?" Liam looked over to me with a hint of revenge.

"Truth." I said.

"Who have you ever had a dream about that goes to our school? In a overly friendly way." He asked with a smirk.

I felt the truth spell working its way through my veins and starting to push out my answer.

I opened my mouth and closed my eyes as the answer flew out.

"Lydia."

~~~

The game had ended 6 rounds after my answer. I had stopped the spell and everyone fell into casual banter. Nobody made a comment about my answer to the truth question. Stiles just shrugged it off and began to talk about how Barry Allen was obviously the best cover of a superhero while Scott argued Clark Kent was better.

Lydia avoided eye contact with me, but when our eyes did meet there was something in hers I couldn't decipher.

"I think we should all take the edge off," Scott said standing from where he had been sitting on the floor.

"What edge?" I asked looking as he picked up some plastic cups and a case of beer.

"Just high school," he said pouring the beer and passing it around.

Ryder raised her cup for a cheer.

"To all the weird crap we've seen."

We all cheered and downed the drinks. Though the werewolves couldn't get drunk, the rest of us were smashed in no time.

~~

Stiles was passed out on the couch, Ryder and Liam had gone up to her room and fallen asleep, Scott was snoring peacefully on the floor; leaving Lydia and I awake in the silent house.

"About what you said," she started, her words coming out slightly slurred.

"It was nothing." I said taking another drink.

She nodded but we both knew I was lying, the truth spell didn't lie. She began to stand up and grabbed her overnight clothes. I grabbed mine and we made our way up to the guest room. We turned our backs to each other as we got changed. We were silent as we climbed into the bed. Our backs were still to each other as I turned off the bedside lamp.

Our breathing filled the room. I thought she had fallen asleep until she rolled over and shifted closer to me. I stayed still as her deep breathing continued. I thought nothing of the movement until she moved even closer, her arm hesitantly moving to encircle my waist. I held my breath as she pulled me closer to her. I moved so that her chest was flush against my back. I knew her deep breathing was her cover to act as if she was asleep; she was fully awake and aware of what was happening.

I thought about breaking the silence, but the moment was so fragile I didn't dare. Just as the haze of the beers began to pull me into sleep, I felt her warm lips kiss my shoulder tentatively. I was wearing a tank top and shirts while she wore an oversized sweater and shorts. I fell asleep finally knowing what her lips felt like on my skin.

That night, Lydia realized why her heart felt so strange around Savannah. There was something there, something more than a friendship; it enticed her, but also terrified her. She made a bold move with the kiss, she hoped something would come of it.


	12. Alone

"Hi, sorry I can't come to the phone right now but leave a message and I'll get back to you!"

Beep.

"Savannah, love. It's dad. We need you back at the institute as soon as you get this message. Something's come up and Alec and I need to head to Idris. Don't panic, just call us as soon as you can. Love you bug."

~~

The soft early morning rays streamed through the curtains hanging in the guest room of Scott's house. I moved to stretch my stiff joints from the hard sleep but found that I was stuck in my place. I looked to see that Lydia had curled around me and was holding me in place. I smiled as I slowly sank back into the bed. I figured a few more minutes wouldn't hurt.

As I was about to sink back into my slumber, my phone lit up. I had silenced it for the night and put it on do not disturb. I picked up the phone and my eyes were assaulted by the sudden change in brightness. I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the screen. 1 missed call from Bubba, 1 missed call from dad, 1 voicemail from dad, 2 messages from Aunt Izzy.

Something's wrong.

I unlocked my phone and listened to the voicemail. I tried to keep calm as I heard what dad was saying.

Idris.

He says there's no reason to panic, but if they have to go to Idris, that's a big reason to panic. I moved from Lydia's grasp, hearing her whine in protest and roll over. I quickly changed clothes into some jeans and a gray t-shirt with a flannel. I threw all my stuff into my bag. My head was throbbing, but I quickly activated the Iratze rune and the pain dulled and soon became nothing but a memory. I grabbed my bag and checked to make sure I had my spell book and stele.

I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. I walked down the hall and down the stairs. Stiles and Scott were still passed out so I just quietly creeped out of the house and once I was on the sidewalk, I portalled home to the institute.

When I landed inside the institute, the common room was empty and the demon sensors were calm. Walking to our wing, everything seemed calm. I opened the door and that's where everything changed.

There were books scattered across the floor, papers littered the coffee table, Dad and Bubba's wedding pictures were shattered on the floor. Someone or something had come tearing through here.

"Bubba! Dad!" I yelled checking in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom. They weren't there. Come to think of it, nobody had been in the command rooms either. It was like the entire institute was abandoned.

I ran my trembling hands through my hair, willing myself not to cry. They always have a plan. Nothing could go wrong.

I took a deep breath as I picked up Dad's hairbrush and Bubba's favorite black sweater. I drew a tracking rune and amplified it with a tracking spell. I closed my eyes and let the magic work. I showed bits and pieces of an unknown place, everything was blurry and strange. I had almost given up until I saw a flash of ruby colored nails. I willed my mind to stop reeling and focus.

I saw Dad and Bubba along with other shadowhunters being held in what seemed to be a large cage. The bars were warded to ensure no stele, seraph blade, or magic could penetrate through. It must be amateur warding seeing as they didn't think to ward against tracking spells and runes. I focused in to see if I could hear.

"Magnus, what about Savannah?" I heard Bubba ask as he moved his head to dad's shoulder.

"I called her moments before the attack. She's a smart girl, she'll know what to do." He said, his voice lacking it's usual flare. His eyes were dull, no glee hidden behind them.

"What about Izzy? Did she get through to her?" Bubba began to panic, his disheveled hair became even more haphazard as he ran his hands through it.

"My love, please calm down. I'm sure Izzy and the others are doing all they can. We mustn't worry too much." Dad said with a calm voice, pulling Bubba into him and smoothing his hair down. The other shadowhunters trapped with them seemed out of it and weren't as awake as Bubba and Dad.

My view of them became blurry as the spell wore off. I was so focused on what they were saying, I hadn't taken in what the surrounding looked like.

"Daddy! Bubba!" I screamed out in frustration as the picture dissolved and my knees buckled under me. I was alone, for the first time in my life that I can remember. I called Aunt Izzy, it went to her voicemail.

"Auntie, I-I need you and Uncle Simon to get Aunt Clary and Uncle Jace and find a way to California. It's really important." My voice quivered as tears ran down my face. I ended the call and slid down the wall I had been leaning against. I curled in on myself and began to sob.

~~

I had no idea how long I had been on the floor, but my phone began buzzing incessantly. I picked up the phone to see Lydia's face and name on the screen.

"Hello," I answered, wiping my face with my hand.

"H-Hey, you were gone when we all woke up," she seemed to take a pause as if she could hear that something was wrong.

"Are you ok?"

Hearing the sensitivity in her voice seemed to reopen the floodgates as the tears came back.

"N-No. Something happened and I don't know what to do." I sobbed out.

"Ok, I'm on my way with Scott, Stiles, Liam, and Ryder. Are you home?"

"Yeah."

I heard the rustling of getting jackets and the jingling of keys.

"We're on our way."

~~

By the time they arrived at the institute and made their way to our wing, I hadn't moved from the floor. My eyes were red from crying, my head was throbbing, and I was still alone. Aunt Izzy had called me back assuring me that she was rounding up the family and they were going to get Catarina to portal them to Beacon Hills.

Scott pushed the door open, seeing as I hadn't moved from my spot. Lydia was right behind him and they all took in the sight of my messy home, torn to pieces. When they saw me huddled against the wall, Lydia rushed over ahead of the others.

She cradled my head in her hands as she looked me over.

"What happened Savannah?" She asked, her eyes looking panicked.

"Someone or something. T-They took Bubba and Dad."

The tears had stopped but the ache in my chest was still present.

"We'll help you find them," Scott said as he looked at the damage of my apartment.

I nodded as Lydia pulled me closer to her and I wrapped my arms around her. Nobody mentioned the sleepover, Lydia made no attempt to explain her motives behind last night. Everything just seemed to be at a standstill.

"I don't want to stay here." I mumbled.

"Of course, we were all just gonna hang out at my house again." Scott said.

"You can come stay at my house tonight," Lydia offered.

I nodded as I unwrapped myself from her. Liam and Ryder were still looking around when I heard the crunch of glass. I looked over to see that Ryder had stepped on the glass that had shattered from the pictures.

She picked up the frame and brought it over to me. A smiling family picture from New York on my first day of middle school looked up at me. Dad and Bubba had insisted we take the picture. I gave a small smile as I felt the ache in my heart increase.

"Let's get you some clothes and head to my house." Lydia said helping me off the floor.

I nodded and went to pack up some clothes and my toiletries. Once I had my bag, we all headed out the door and I grabbed one of Bubba's big sweaters from the coat hook to take with me.

I looked back at the torn apartment and walked with my friends out of the institute. I knew that they would help me, I just want my dads back.


	13. Anchor

Staying in the Martin household was relaxing amidst all the chaos. Lydia always made sure that I was comfortable and her mom was very understanding of letting me stay with them. I made sure not to take it for granted as I helped clean dishes and do work around the house. Though I was enjoying the company, I wanted no more than to be out looking for Dad and Bubba.

Aunt Izzy, Aunt Clary, Uncle Jace, and Uncle Simon had arrived 2 days ago. Dad and Bubba have been missing for 5 days. 

At first, I ran on fumes trying to track them but all of my efforts were futile. I began to slow down, my schoolwork slipped and soon everything seemed to be in a downward spiral. My eating habits were deteriorating and Lydia was becoming worried; I felt like everything was slipping between my fingers and I couldn't help it.

"Savannah, you have to eat something." Lydia placed the plate of buttered toast in front of me. We were sitting at the breakfast nook, still clad in our pajamas. Senior ditch day had some perks.

I shook my head and pushed the plate back towards her. She sighed and stood from her seat across from me and moved to sit next to me.

She picked up the toast and placed it against my lips.

"Open your mouth and eat the toast." She said, her eyes full of determination.

I held her gaze and finally gave in. I parted my lips and took a bite of the toast. The only sound in the kitchen was that of me chewing the toast and Lydia encouraging me to finish it.

I finished the toast and drank a glass of water, it felt wrong. Here I was, eating and drinking while my parents were who knows where probably starving and exhausted. The thought made me sick, quickly the toast began to make its way back up my throat. I pushed away from the table and ran to the bathroom. I heard Lydia push her chair back hastily and pad after me.

By the time I pulled the toilet seat up, the toast made it's exit. The acidic vomit burned my throat and tears sprung into my eyes. Lydia was soon behind me, holding back my short strands of hair and rubbing soothing circles in my back.

I coughed as the last of the contents of my stomach were flushed down the toilet. I leaned back and Lydia cradled me in between her legs and wrapped her arms around me. She had wet a towel and passed it to me. I wiped my mouth then threw the towel into the sink. We sat on the cold tile floor while I pulled myself together.

Lydia decided to break the silence,

"I know you feel like things are falling apart, but you have me. I'm here along with the pack, your aunts and uncles are doing all they can to find your dads, and you're safe. You need to take care of yourself, so when your dads come home you can be in good health to greet them." She spoke in a whisper, as if being too loud would make me break.

I slowly nodded and leaned my head back into her. She was holding me close to her, and I didn't want to move.

"Can I ask you something?" I whispered, my voice a little hoarse.

I felt her tense slightly as she hummed her response.

"Last week at Scott's house, that night. Do you remember what happened?" I asked. The timing couldn't have been worse. She had just watched me vomit, my dads were missing, but I had to know. This information could ground me and give me something to hold onto.

"Yeah," she said uncertainly.

"Why?" The question hung in the air. I felt her chest rise with the deep breath and then the answer came.

"I'm not sure, you were there and you were beautiful though I couldn't see you. Your warmth was inviting. I've been having these feelings, things that I've never felt before. I took the chance and I was hoping you were sleep, but also praying you were awake."

She said all this while playing with my hair.

"What does this mean?" I asked her. In my mind, I wanted her to say that she was madly in love with me and that she has never loved anyone so much. I was terrified to hear the actual words that would come from her mouth.

"It means, I-I'm not straight." her voice wavered as she finished her sentence. I turned my head to hers and saw tears running down her face.

"Lyds, what's wrong?" I moved so that I was kneeling between her legs, and cradled her head in my hands.

"It feels amazing to finally say that. I have felt things like this before and pushed it down and denied it. Right now, I just accepted it, and it feels fucking amazing." she sobbed out. I pulled her into my chest and smiled hearing her voice, the first smile I had shown in days.

There we were on the floor of her bathroom, in pajamas, and confiding in each other. She leaned back against the wall, her strawberry blond hair in disarray around her face.

"I really want to kiss you," she said looking from my eyes to my lips.

"I just vomited, I'm probably gross." I said with a hint of a giggle.

"Vomit be damned," she said as she pulled me closer and brought our lips together.

My heart just about left my body as she pressed closer and I registered that this was happening.

She pulled back and gave a shy smile. I smiled back and gave her a loving kiss on her forehead.

"You pulled me back in, your amazing." I said thinking about how she managed to pull me out of my downward spiral with just a few words and a declaration of her identity.

"I'm an anchor." She said as she pushed my hair out of my face. I smiled at her and we continued to sit on the cold tiles, talking, and eventually getting up to change into real clothes.

The rest of the day was filled with cuddles under big blankets, stolen soft kisses, and smiles. I knew my dads were in trouble, but I knew Lydia was right and that I wasn't in this alone.


	14. Reunions

The sun began to set on our nice senior skip day. Lydia and I were curled up in her bed, watching The Flash. 

"So who is that?" I asked looking at the screen.

"That is Harry. He's from another Earth. The theory of the multiverse is true in the show." She explained leaning further into my grasp. I smiled as she moved closer, she had opened up to me. I didn't want to put a label on us, or her, so I just left everything the way it was.

My phone began to buzz on the bedside table. I unwrapped myself from around Lydia and reached for the device. I saw that it was Aunt Izzy and my heart frantically started to race.

I slid the accept button across the bottom of the screen and put the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I answered, worried about what I would here on the other end.

"Savannah! Hey, we found them. We just sent in a tactical team to retrieve them. Wait- they're out. I see them," I heard her begin to run and yell out to Bubba. The sound became muffled as I heard crying.

"Who's on the phone?" I heard the exhausted voice of Bubba. I began to cry. Lydia pushed the duvet back and moved to sling her arms around my shoulders. She laid her head on my shoulder as I continued to cry.

"Bubba! Bubba!" I finally managed to say words. I heard the rustling of the phone being passed around.

"Hello," hearing his voice so close and clear made the tears come faster.

"Bubba," I cried out again.

"Hey there. How's my girl?" He said, as if he hadn't been gone for a week.

"I should be asking you that," I said, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

"I'm fine. Magnus is fine too. The other shadowhunters made it out. Magnus said he could feel your tracking spell. He's very proud of you, as am I." He gushed over the phone.

"I want to hear you say that face to face. Hurry home, I'll meet you there. Love you."

"I love you too."

~~

Lydia was quick to drive me to the institute. We didn't speak the entire car ride. I clutched her right hand while the left one held tight to the steering wheel.

When I saw the institute, I felt my body go numb. My body seemed to be on autopilot. Lydia's voice was a mere murmur as I got out of the car and made my way inside, I opened the door and walked through the halls to the apartment. I walked past the other nephilim and I seemed to have tunnel vision.

I knew Lydia was behind me, but I didn't need to turn around. I walked up to the door, on the other side I knew my parents would be there but I didn't know what they would look like.

Lydia finally caught up with me and placed a hand on my shoulder as I opened the door. Dad and Bubba were picking up the glass and papers as I walked through the threshold.

"Daddy," my voice came out in a tone of a child.

Dad's head quickly looked to the door, his eyes weren't glamoured and I can't describe the feeling of seeing those feline eyes. All bets were off as I ran at him with my arms wide open. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight.

Bubba walked over and wrapped his arms around us. My family was complete, my heart felt full. The void was gone, pushed to the back of my mind

"Welcome home," I said into Dad's chest. He chuckled as he kissed the top of my head.

"We're happy to be home."

~~

Lydia and I helped clean up the remainder of the glass as Dad and Bubba went to shower and put on fresh clothes.

By the time the apartment had been restored to its former glory, Lydia and I had collapsed onto the couch. She laid her head on my should and for the first time in a week without my parents, I could finally focus on her.

Her breathing began to slow as she began to fall asleep.

"Lyds, do you want me to take you home?"

"Nah. I wanna stay here with you."

With that, I gently guided her to my room. Once I put her in bed, I walked to Dad and Bubba's room. I found them curled up in their bed, wrapped in each other's arms.

"Hey love. Everything alright?" Dad asked looking at my figure in the doorway.

"Yeah. Lydia and I finished cleaning up. She's gonna stay here tonight. Night." I said blowing them a kiss and heading back to my room.

Lydia had spread across the bed and was taking up my portion of the bed. I shook my head as i gently moved her frame so that I could get under the duvet.

"Good night Lyds." I said as I draped an arm around her.

"Gnnhhh" Was the response I got.

What am I gonna do with her?


	15. Pancakes and Pillows

Waking up in my own bed was refreshing, better than that was Lydia spread out beside me. Her strawberry blonde hair lay tousled across the pillow as she soundly slept. I decided to get up and at least wash my face before heading to get some breakfast. I slowly moved out of bed and made my way to the bathroom.

After I had used the toilet, brushed my hair, washed my face, and brushed my teeth, I threw on some flannel shorts and a loose fitting shirt. There was nothing on my agenda for the day, so I just wanted to lounge around with Lydia.

When I walked back to the bed I saw that Lydia was beginning to wake up. She groaned as she stretched her arms above her head. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked around the room. I cleared my throat and she turned towards me.

"There you are, I thought you would still be sleeping." She said slipping from under the duvet.

"I decided to get dressed and maybe we could go make some breakfast." I said walking towards her.

Her small frame was drowned in the oversize sweater she was sporting. Her shorts were all but nonexistent under the sweatshirt. I wrapped my arms around her waist and nestled my head in the space between her neck and shoulder. I took in a deep breath and I could smell the vanilla body wash that she used.

Her arms were loosely draped around my neck, playing with the short strands of hair.

I pulled back and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Pancakes?" I asked her.

"Pancakes."

~

20 minutes later, the pancakes were done but the kitchen was a mess. I used a quick cleaning spell and soon the mess was just a memory.

Lydia and I sat at the table and ate in silence, not an awkward one; just silence.

"So what are your plans for the day?" She asked me, looking up from her plate.

"Well I was gonna head to the training room for a while, but after these pancakes, I just feel like vegetating for a while." I said finishing off my last pancake.

We cleared off the table and then flopped onto the couch.

"Where are your dads?" Lydia asked as she curled up under the blanket that was on the couch.

"I think they are still asleep, nobody blames them. They might sleep all day, it wouldn't be the first time." I said the last part with a chuckle.

"What do you mean?" Lydia asked, propping her head up with her hand.

"Well there was this time we went to Idris and they were going to meetings all day and that night there were little parties and they had to make appearances. With Dad being the high warlock of Brooklyn, he represents warlocks in Idris so he had even more things to tend to." I began to tell her about how Dad and Bubba had worked so hard that by the time they made it back to the house they were exhausted and ended up sleeping for a day and a half.

While I was telling the story, Lydia listened with so much concentration and she seemed to really enjoy the story.

I stood up after a while and grabbed some pillows and more blankets and brought them back to the couch.

"I think we should make use of this uneventful day and make a pillow fort," I declared dropping the supplies on Lydia's lap.

She seemed to enjoy the thought of the idea and she rushed to grab the chairs from around the dinner table and I grabbed some sheets from my bed along with my laptop.

"Do you have any lights?" Lydia called down the hall to me.

"Don't worry about that, I've got it." I said, with an idea creeping into my mind.

Once we had gathered everything needed for the fort, we began constructing. Here we were, two 18 year olds giggling like children as we construct a pillow fort in my living room. At some point I guess Bubba and Dad woke up because I heard their low laughter from the hall as they watched the fort being built.

"What are you two doing?" Dad asked walking towards us as we positioned the chairs around the couch.

"Pillow fort," we both mumbled as we began to drape the sheets over the chairs and the couch. Soon we piled the pillows up inside the fort and soon we were done. Dad and Bubba watched as we grabbed snacks from the kitchen and made our way into the fort.

"Are you planning on living in there off of the snacks?" Bubba asked.

"Maybe!" I said laughing as I drew the sheets closed as a makeshift door. I heard Dad and Bubba chuckle and walk back down to their room. I pulled up my laptop and opened up Netflix so we could watch some shows.

"What about the lights?" Lydia asked looking at the dark corners of the fort.

"I can fix that."

I began a small spell; a light spell.

"Lumiere, vitro."

Soon small orbs of light began to float around the space in the fort and the space was filled with the warm glow of the magical lights.

"Wow," Lydia gawked at the lights.

The lights caught her hair and the strawberry blond locks seemed to become fluorescent.

"What?" Lydia asked looking at me, catching me staring.

"You're beautiful," I said looking into her hazel eyes.

She blushed in response. I cleared my throat and moved closer to her, moving my laptop to the side.

"Lyds, you are beautiful. I'm gonna tell you every time I see you." I said cupping her face in my hands.

She held my wrists as she studied my face.

"I'm gonna kiss you now." I said taking a breath.

"Wow, no vomit this time?" She chuckled, it was my turn to blush.

"Let's hope not." I said, earning another chuckle from her.

I leaned in as did she. Both of our eyes fluttered shut as we got closer and soon our lips touched. Sparks. That's the only explanation for the feeling that was running through my veins. My heart started racing as she hesitantly moved her hands from my wrists to the back of my neck. She toyed with the short strands of hair at the nape of my neck, while I wound my hands in her vibrant locks.

She began to feel more confident as she started to move her mouth against mine, adding more pressure. She took control as we found a comfortable position laying on the couch, surrounded by the floating orbs of light.

I pulled back for some air and nestled my head into her neck. I planted light kisses on her collar bone and she sighed as she felt my lips move across her skin.

"I don't want to leave this fort." She whispered into my ear, her lips brushing against the skin.

"Me neither. If we play our cards right, we won't have to." I said as we moved so I was cuddling with her, being the 'big spoon'.

"If I know Beacon Hills, that won't happen." Lydia said as she moved her body closer to mine.

"Well, let's hope you don't know Beacon Hills."

We spent the remainder of the day cuddled on the couch laughing, talking, and sneaking in kisses; all while Dad and Bubba listened from their room.

Magnus and Alec were happy. Savannah was happy. Of course it wasn't going to last


	16. If Not Now, When?

"When do you want to tell the pack?" I looked over at Lydia. She was laying across my bed, her AP Stats book and notebook laying in front of her.

"Hmm?" She hummed back still looking at the textbook.

"The pack, when can we tell them about us?" I repeated my question.

She finally looked up, her newly cut hair falling into her eyes. The bob framed her face and brought out the fullness of her cheeks.

"What? You want to tell them?" She said sitting up, the math homework suddenly forgotten.

"Well yeah, I want people to know. I'm happy about this." I said turning my body to fully face her.

"I'm happy. I promise you I am, but I don't know what I am; my identity. I don't want to rush and say something that's not truly me." She gestured with her hands as she finally placed them on my shoulders.

"Well, I won't pressure you to make that decision. I know it's a big decision. I just want to take you out on a date, somewhere beyond my room and hold your hand everywhere we go." I said, brushing her short locks behind her ear.

"I know, and I want that to."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I'm afraid of what people will think," Lydia said. She broke her eye contact with me and looked down at her hands. She began to pick at the chipped pale pink nail polish on her nails.

"Lyds, as long as you are secure in who you are, nobody can make you feel like you should be ashamed of who you are." I said taking her hands in mine.

"I know but-," Lydia started but I stopped her.

"I understand the fear of being judged. If you aren't comfortable with telling the pack now, it's ok. I was just thinking if not now, when? Beacon Hills has been quite. School is calm and we are happy." I said watching her face.

"I know, I just need a little more time." She said looking at me. Behind her hazel eyes I could see that she was unsure about how I felt in this situation. Soon her eyes began to water and tears began to make their way down her face.

"Hey. Hey. Now don't cry," I tried to soothe her, pulling her into my chest.

"I'm so sorry. I don't want to make you wait." She cried into my shirt.

"Don't worry about that love. Trust me, I can wait forever for you."

"That may not be possible in Beacon Hills."

"Well, with my newfound life as a warlock, forever is quite literal." I said with a chuckle. I hadn't mentioned the whole 'immortality' thing yet. I was afraid it would put her off.

"Immortal?" She looked up at me with wide eyes.

I nodded. She took a deep breath and sat up wiping the leftover tears off of her face.

"Well, let's make every moment of your immortality memorable." She stated.

Before I could say anything in response, her lips were on mine. I chuckled and leaned into her. Her short locks ran smoothly through my fingers. I heard her math book topple to the floor as we stretched out. I held her close to me, so close we were practically one person.

How did I live without her? How could I live without her? She's my everything.


	17. Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a mild amount of blood in this chapter, just as a disclaimer.

"Female Jane Doe, 19 years old, stab wound to the abdomen. Bleeding profusely, I need 3 units of O negative stat!" The EMTs rushed through the doors, holding gauze to the bleeding wound. The gurney being rushed through the doors. I followed, blood staining my shirt and hands.

"Where are you hurt? Ma'am where are you hurt?" I vaguely heard someone ask me.

"It's not my blood," my eyes never left the gurney. I tried to follow, but the nurses stopped me.

I watched the gurney turn the corner and I saw a fleeting glance of strawberry blonde hair.

"Ma'am, what's your relationship to the patient?"

"She's not a Jane Doe, her name is Lydia Martin. She's my girlfriend." I stated, still staring after where the gurney had been pushed.

"Where is Melissa McCall?" I asked the nurse.

"I need to talk to Melissa McCall."

~~

I sat on the bed in an empty room, the nurses were paging for Melissa. Lydia's blood was all over me, and I couldn't seem to move to wipe it all off.

"Savannah, what happened?" Melissa asked walking into the room, closing the door.

"We were out a-and I-I couldn't hel-help her." I stuttered out.

"Ok, I know you must be processing everything right now, let's just clean you up and call your dads."

20 minutes later I was still in the same room but I was clad in a hospital gown while my other clothes were inspected.

"Hey there bug," Bubba stuck his head in the door, followed by dad. The sight of my fathers brought tears to my eyes.

"Bubba," I cried as Bubba made his way over to me. He wrapped his arms around me and cooed softly in my ear as I cried.

"What happened?" Dad asked.

I took a deep breath and began to tell them what happened.

"We were headed to Scott's house. On our way Lydia told me she had a feeling. I know that banshees are the real deal, so I pulled out my stele and drew on a soundless rune, and we began to run. We had almost made it to Scott's house, when the demon appeared. It had glamoured itself to look like a run of the mill mugger, but of course I could see though the glamour. Lydia only saw the mugger. The demon lunged at us, it was screeching and the sound was unbearable. I tried to stick me with a claw like arm, but Lydia jumped in front of me.

"It punctured her side and she screamed. I had never heard a banshee scream until then. It was so powerful, it pushed the demon back. In the process the claw became dislodged and she began to lose blood. I couldn't use a rune on her since she's still a mundane. I looked around for the demon, but it was gone.

"I tried to stop the bleeding, but I couldn't. So I called the ambulance and here we are. They took her into the OR, and I haven't heard anything."

I finished recounting what happened. Bubba was rubbing my back as Dad paced by the door. He would momentarily glance out the glass pane in the door. There was a knock and then Melissa came into the room.

"Hey, so Lydia is in surgery. Nothing vital was punctured, but I'm guessing this isn't a normal stab wound." She said looking at me and my dads.

"I'm Magnus. I'm not sure we've formally met since we moved to Beacon Hills. This is my husband Alec. I'm a warlock and he's a shadowhunter. We believe this was a demon attack, based of Savannah's recount." He said shaking Melissa's hand.

"Warlock? Shadowhunter? I've heard and seen a lot in Beacon Hills, but I think this is a first." She said looking to me.

"Don't worry, Scott can explain it to you more in depth later. You really raised a great son." Bubba said, walking over to shake Melissa's hand. She smiled at the statement.

"What about Lydia?" I asked waiting for Melissa to continue about my girlfriend's condition.

"She's in surgery and it should be a quick procedure to stitch her up and make sure no internal damage was done."

"Thank you," I said looking down and messing with my hands.

"No problem, you should go to room 387, she'll be there soon. It would be nice to wake up to a warm and welcoming face." Melissa said as she left the room.

"I told you we should have kept you in New York." Dad mumbled running his hands through his short cut hair.

"Demons are everywhere. We just have to deal with whatever crazy gets thrown at us." I said looking at my fathers.

"We live in Beacon Hills. New York will always be our home, but you guys were tasked with protecting Beacon Hills. You have to do what you were brought here to do; fight and protect. Some people will get hurt, but pain is temporary." I said thinking of how badly I wanted to protect Lydia.

"What spurred that little motivational speech," Bubba chucked petting down my hair.

"I want to learn to fight. I want to be able to defend myself." I said.

"That's a reasonable request, we can get the sparring room on Monday." Bubba said looking and Dad who just nodded in response.

"Watch out Beacon Hills."


	18. Battle Scars

I hit the floor with a loud thump. Above me, Bubba stood with his bow staff and reached down to pick up mine, which had just been ripped from my grasp.

"Where is your head today? I've done that move 3 times and you still haven't adjusted your grip." He gave me his criticism while I picked myself up. A few rogue strands of hair fell out of the clips I had pinned them back with.

"Sorry, I just want to go see Lydia." I said taking the bow staff back.

"Well, once we get through this technique you can go. Just remember me and dad are going out to dinner tonight, so you're on your own for dinner." He said as he adjusted his grip on his staff. He placed his feet firmly on the ground.

I made sure my grip was strong and stared dead ahead at my father. He gave me a slight nod and I charged forward. He deflected most of my offensive attacks. He then turned the tables, making me work on my defense. His moves were swift and agile, truly the skills of an archer and well trained shadowhunter. He was pushing me towards the back corner of the sparring room.

When my back was literally to the wall, I tried a new approach. I held the bow staff in both hands horizontally as Bubba continued to attack. I placed one foot on the wall behind me and pushed forward. His footing slipped with the unexpected force. I took the opportunity to hook the staff behind his ankle and his legs gave out from under him.

While I revelled in the victory, he took the opportunity to bring me down. I felt as the bow staff slid from my hands and suddenly I was pinned to the floor. Bubba towered over me, his knee pinning my chest as he held both bow staffs.

"I think that's enough for today. Next time you need to be more focused," he said standing and helping me up.

We were both sweaty and panting as we grabbed our bags and headed up to our wing of the institute. I quickly changed clothes and yelled a goodbye to my dads as I ran out of the institute to Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital to see Lydia.

~~

"There's my warrior," I said walking into her room. Her strawberry blond hair was a stark contrast to the white pillows and bland hospital gown. Her mom was standing by her bed stroking her hair.

"Hey Sav," Lydia spoke. Her voice was laced with fatigue as she watched my figure come through the door.

"Hi Mrs. Martin." I said, acknowledging her presence.

"Hello Savannah. Lydia, I'll go see if they can up the dosage on the morphine." Mrs. Martin said as she walked out of the room.

After she closed the door and I heard her heels proceeding down the hall, I crossed the room to give Lydia a tender kiss on the lips. She smiled as I pulled away.

"I missed you."

"You were here all weekend, and I saw you yesterday."

"That doesn't mean I can't miss my girlfriend."

At my comment, she showed a shy grin.

"Well, I guess that's a viable excuse."

I smiled as I ran my hand through her hair. I felt her relax and lean into my touch.

"I'm happy you're here."

"I'm glad you're ok."

"Not completely," Lydia said leaning away from me. She pulled her gown to show the scar left by the demon and the surgery.

"Well, I still think you are the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Thanks," She said leaning up to kiss me.

"Besides, everyone has battle scars. Some are visible, some aren't. Trust me when I say, you look like a bad ass with that scar." I chuckled thinking about my sparring session. I realized that I was afraid of getting hurt, so I held back. I just need to be sure in myself and scars be damned.

"Battle scars are just reminders of what we get through. Don't worry, you'll definitely get through this."


	19. Pain

"Alright Miss Martin. You are all cleared to go home. Remember, no heavy lifting for a few days, changing the dressing on your stitches, and stay hydrated." The doctor signed the release form and passed it to Lydia's mom while Lydia picked up her belongings.

"Hey, no lifting," I said taking the bag from her.

"I can carry a bag," she said stretching to try to take the bag back. In the process of making the sudden movement, she winced.

"Well according to your stitches, you can't." I said in a matter-of-fact tone. I walked with her out the door and we were headed down the hallway toward the exit when Bubba sent me a text.

Hey honey. Magnus and I are headed to a meeting and won't be home until later tonight. Feel free to stay with Lydia tonight. We send our love xoxo.

Leave it to Bubba to end a text with hugs and kisses.

"Hey Lydia, would you mind me staying at your place tonight? Dad and Bubba have a meeting." I asked catching up to her at the sliding doors.

"Sure, my mom has to go help Sheriff Stilinkski with some paperwork. I'll need some help getting around when she leaves." She said as she walked over to her car where her mom was waiting with the door open.

"See you in like 10 minutes, I gotta go home and grab some stuff." I called out waving as I made my way down the sidewalk. Once I was down the sidewalk and out of the eyesight of mundanes, I chanted a spell to open a portal and soon landed out side of the institute.

I went inside and grabbed a duffel and quickly threw some clothes into the bag. In the process, I grabbed my stele and spellbook. Things hadn't felt right since the demon attacked Lydia. Of course, I was scared that it was going to happen again but I didn't quite know what to do.

Since Lydia is mostly human, I couldn't put a protection rune on her. That was something that made me uneasy. If a rune is placed on a human, they become a zombie-like being called a forsaken; it's worse than death. So runes were out of the question. I began to think about whether or not I should ward her house, that was something I would have to talk to her about.

After my bag was packed, I headed out of the institute and ran into a solid body.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Are you alright?" I looked up to see a shadowhunter standing over me. He had short cropped brown hair that accented his hazel eyes. He had a large deflect rune on his neck.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I'm just really clumsy." I said straightening my clothes and looking him in the face.

"I'm new to the institute. I just got transferred from the Washington headquarters. The name's Dylan Thomas." He said offering his hand for a handshake.

"I'm Savannah Lightwood-Bane, nice to meet you." I said shaking his hand.

"Ah, so the infamous daughter of the high warlock and head of the institute." He said with a smile.

I smiled in return, "It was nice meeting you, but I actually have to get going." I said as I made my way around him.

"Oh yeah, sure. See ya around." I heard him say as I headed down the sidewalk.

~~~

Lydia was siting in front of her powder vanity when I knocked on her door. She had pulled up her shirt to look at the bandage on her side.

"What are you doing there?" I asked making my way through the door.

"This is gonna leave a scar," she said tilting her head in the mirror, her hands tracing over the stitches. She began to replace the old gauze with the new one.

"It's ok, I told you that scars make you stronger." I said sitting on her bed.

She was tilting her head from side to side. Her hair moved with each tilt and she just watched as her hair moved in the mirror, her eyes looked like she was in a daze.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked her, watching the way her hair swayed with each movement.

"I want to do something different," she said, not taking her eyes off of the mirror.

"Like what?" 

"Like, cut my hair." She said, turning to me.

"Why? What spurred that spontaneous idea?" I asked, looking at her.

"I've been thinking about it for a while," she began while looking down at her hands, "I think that I have some internalized homophobia towards myself. I just want to show myself that my hair doesn't define me."

"Wow, I think that's really amazing." I said, the awe in my voice very evident.

"Do you think I'm crazy?"

"No, I just think that this could be good for you. It could be another form of healing. Until they find who hurt you, this could be a big confidence boost."

"Great," Lydia nodded.

She gave me a bright smile and I couldn't help but smile back. I liked the idea of having Lydia be happy. She made all the pain go away.


	20. Strength in Numbers

"Ryder, Liam, can you guys stop sucking face and listen please?" Stiles annoyingly knocked on the table in my living room.

The two pulled away from each other, Liam looking pretty embarrassed and Ryder looking smug.

"Stiles, stop hurting the poor babies. Just let them be happy." I said making mock kissing noises towards the couple.

"Ok, Ok. Let's continue. As for the thing that took Savannah's dads, it's still out there." Scott said looking to me.

"It's not a matter of a thing, it's a person. Only a warlock could've pulled off the spell that tore this place to pieces. My dad says he's looking into some contacts to see if any warlocks have gone rogue and are lashing out." I explained, looking around at the pack. 

"So, how do we hunt down said rogue warlock?" Stiles said, looking at me with wild eyes. I could practically see the gears turning in his head.

"I don't know. We shouldn't worry, Dad and Bubba have this all under control." I said, hoping to calm down the detective in Stiles.

"I think we should just let the shadowhunters deal with that. Anyways, we should try to find the mugger who attacked Lydia." Ryder said from her spot tucked under Liam's arm.

"Where is Lydia anyway?" Liam asked looking to me.

"How should I know?" I replied leaning back into the couch. I was hoping that I had kept my voice level and casual.

"Okay, what was that?" Scott said looking to me.

"What was what?"

"Your heartbeat just accelerated when Liam asked you about Lydia." Scott said leaning his head in my direction.

"I-I was just. Y-you know. I-I-" before I could finish blabbering, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get that," I said, moving towards the door. I opened the door and choked on the air that usually effortlessly moves through my body. My heart was definitely racing now.

On the other side of the doorway stood Lydia. She had gone to get her hair cut cleaned up a bit. The girl standing in front of me was stunning. The haircut was an angled bob and it shaped her face beautifully. I guess I was ogling too long because she began to blush.

"Can I come in Sav?" 

"Y-yeah. The pack is here." I said, raising my eyebrows in a way to tell her to be discreet. She nodded and walked past me, and I took the opportunity to lightly smack her backside. She gave a small yelp and looked over at me with a devious glare that told me I would pay for that small action.

"Hey Lyds- whoa. You cut your hair." Stiles observed looking up from his papers.

"Yeah, what do you think?" Lydia said giving a turn so that they could see the cut from all angles.

"I think it suits you," Scott said from his seat.

"I think you look sexy," Ryder said looking at Lydia.

Lydia visibly blushed at the compliment and I tried to make it look like I wasn't about to attack Lydia with kisses.

"Ok, so how do we fight this warlock?" Scott asked, diving right back into business.

"The institute is looking into it, you guys don't have to do this." I said, moving towards the pack.

"Savannah, this isn't our first run in with danger here in Beacon Hills. We need to find a solution." Stiles said looking at Lydia.

"We can't risk anyone else getting hurt, or worse." I said looking around. I could tell I struck that emotional chord once everyones faces seemed to drop. I saw Scott take in an especially deep breath.

"We know the risks. We've taken them before." Scott said.

"I know you all said you've lost friends, but how many?" I asked looking around the room.

"Let's see; Aiden, Alison, Erica, and Boyd. Those were just our friends, so many other people have died in this town. It always seems hard, but we pull through." Lydia explained.

"We fight 'til the end." Stiles said looking at me.

"You want to protect Beacon Hills, I get it. If something were to happen to any of you, I don't know what I would do." I said, and I let my gaze drift over to Lydia who was already looking at me.

"That's why we have these pack meetings, to go over plans and figure out tactics, so nobody has to think about the what ifs." Liam chimed in.

I nodded and started to explain warlocks and other downworlder codes to the pack.

"So if this warlock went rogue, we would be praised for bringing them in?" Ryder asked.

"No, you would be praised for killing them or taking them to the Clave. But either way, by attacking both Nephilim and another downworlder, they broke the Accords so they would die. I know you all are against killing, but it's not only the law- it's the oldest law." I said looking around the room.

There was silence as everyone took in all I had said.

"I say we do it, no matter what the end result will be. There needs to be justice." Stiles said looking to Scott.

"Ok, if we do this, there's no backing down. We fight until the very end." Scott said looking around the room.

"I'm all in, but I have to warn you about this. Since this warlock attacked my family, I want to be the one who brings them down." I said. They all nodded, understanding where I was coming from.

"Ok, I think we have a solid plan." Scott said packing up his stuff as they all made their way out.

I waved to them as they headed out of the institute, and then there was just Lydia and I.

"Are you ok?" She asked me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I'm ok, I'll be better once we catch this warlock." I said nustling into her neck. She pressed a soft kiss to my head and we just stood there, comfortable with each others presence.

"Remember, we're going to fight this." She said.

"To the very end." I said in response.

We had no idea how right we were.


	21. Training and Dinners

The pack and I have had meetings weekly, devising a plan to go after the rogue warlock. In doing this, Bubba wanted to make sure we were all thoroughly prepared for what we may face, so he's been working with us.

"Scott, watch your foot placement. If I wanted to I could take you down right now." Bubba called across the room to Scott who was sparring with Malia. She had just gotten back from some quality time with her dad, Peter, and she was eager to go into a fight. 

Ryder and Liam were training with bow staffs and they weren't going easy on each other, which was probably better. Lydia and I were training in the art of deflecting and evading. I wanted to work on fighting without having to hurt her. So as each of us threw a punch, the other evaded. This technique essentially causes your opponent to fight themselves.

Stiles was with Dad in the observatory deck, monitoring everything happening in the training area. They wanted to take note of where we were lacking, and then use it against us so we could improve.

There was an audible snap as Ryder broke Liam's bow staff with her own. She looked over to Bubba with a shy smile, which strongly contrasted her glowing purple eyes and the presence of fire on her skin. He merely nodded and then she and Liam were off again.

The next sound that reverberated through the room was Malia slamming Scott into the floor.

"Careful Malia, we still need him for the actual battle." Lydia said looking over at the two.

"Well, that's our cue to take a break. Everyone take 10." Bubba called out as he made his way over to me.

He pulled Lydia and I over to the side while the others talked and grabbed some water and energy bars.

"What's up Mr. Lightwood-Bane?" Lydia, eyeing Bubba with suspicion.

"First, you can just call me Alec. Second, I know you two think you're being smart by hiding your relationship, but it's not smart to go into something this intense with that big of a secret." He said in a low voice. The chatter around the institute served as a mask so that Ryder, Liam, Malia, and Scott couldn't listen in on us.

"We can't exactly drop a bomb like that on them either." I said looking up at my father.

"Well, Bug, sometimes these bombs need to go off in order to move forward," he said looking at me.

"Sav, we can tell them. Let's do it over dinner tonight." Lydia said, playing with her hands.

"Are you sure? I don't want to make you do something you're not ready to do."

"Yeah, I'm ready to do this."

~~

Everyone was able to stay for dinner, which worked well for us. They all enjoyed watching Dad bring the food to the table with his magic.

"Stop showing off," Bubba said whilst playfully slapping Dad's hip. He made this comment as Dad brought the side dishes to the table, all of which were drifting in the air above his hands.

Of all my friends, Stiles was the most engrossed in my Dad's powers. Bubba and Dad sat at either end of the table while the rest of us filled in both sides. We had extended the table to accommodate my friends, we were so used to having only 3 or 4 people.

I used the opportunity of Stiles' distraction to give him a little zap on the arm.

"Ah! What was that for?" He cried out rubbing the appendage.

"If you stared any more, you would have dried out your eyes." I said, picking up my fork.

"Enough distractions, let's eat!" Bubba said rubbing his hands together. There were no complaints, seeing as we had spent a lot of energy training today.

Dinner was full of chatter, laughter, food, and glances from my dads. While everyone was leaning back in their chairs, full and content, I decided it was time. I grabbed Lydia's hand under the table and gave her a reassuring squeeze, which she returned.

I cleared my throat gently, and soon all eyes were on me.

"Well, I- uh, I know that we have a big day coming up. I just want to thank you all for being so open to a new way of taking on this problem, but something has to be said. You all know I love being friends with you and that is because you all accepted me with open arms when I moved here- when we moved here," I looked at my dads.

"In this pack, you all communicate with each other and you're transparent about things with each other. So it's time I was transparent. For the last month or 2, I've been in a relationship with a girl here in Beacon Hills. She is amazing and beautiful and I want to share her with you, just as you shared her with me." 

I finished my sentence and looked around the table. Scott, Liam, Ryder and Malia all looked like they understood what I was implying, whereas Stiles looked about a page behind.

"So what I'm saying is that I'm dating Lydia, we're dating, she's my girlfriend. I think that covers all the ways I could have said it." I finished taking a deep breath and chuckling a little.

There was a small moment of silence before Malia made a comment.

"Oh, was your relationship supposed to be a secret?" She asked looking at the two of us.

"Yeah," Lydia said in a small voice.

"Well, it's about time you told us!" Liam exclaimed.

"Wait, you knew?!?" Dad asked.

"Yeah, Scott, Malia, and I knew first. The give away was the fact that their chemo signals have been a little skewn in the past month. They constantly smell of infatuation." Liam said looking over to us. 

Lydia had taken to hiding in my shoulder while I lightly banged my head on the table. Stiles was still processing the information before he said,

"Wait, you've known they've been dating for this long and nobody thought to inform me?"

His question was followed by an eruption of laughter. Everyone just looked at us with love and acceptance and no words were needed, they all loved the idea of us together. So the dinner ended as it had began- chatter, laughter, and now no more secrets.


	22. Heartache

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning portion was in italics, but it didn't carry over.

"Savanah's memory is still blocked?" Alec said looking at Magnus.

"The clave said I shouldn't lift the spell. Also we don't know how she will react to knowing she hurt someone." Magnus said, running his hands along his sideburns.

"Well, I think we need to tell her at some point, I don't like knowing that we are keeping something from her. We all agreed to no secrets." Alec said, beginning to pace behind the couch in the living room.

"My love, please don't fret. We can find a way to tell her, but we should probably wait until this whole mission thing is over." Magnus said getting up and wrapping his arms around his husband.

"Fine, but I wish we could do it sooner." Alec said, laying his head in the crook of his neck.

As this conversation was happening, not so quietly, Savannah was laying in her room staring at her ceiling. She listened as her parents were talking and now all she wanted to know is what she did. She waited until she heard her parents leave the living room, in the process passing by her room. Her eyes began to sting with tears as her heart clenched. Her parents were keeping secrets from her, and not only that- her Dad had used magic on her without her knowing.

Things were changing in her house, and they weren't for the best.

~~~

I stood on the stoop of Lydia's house, my hair was a little tousled from the portal I took over here. My eyes were puffy and I probably looked like a train wreck. I knocked on her door and I heard the sound of her feet approaching the door. 

By the time she opened the door, I could tell by the look on her face that she saw my distress.

"What's wrong Sav?" She asked opening the door wider and I walked inside.

"M-My dads are lying to me. They blocked my memory because apparently I hurt someone." I said, fresh tears began to make tracks down my face.

She pulled me into her arms and that embrace seemed to help me just go limp and sob in her arms. She held me for about 10 minutes before my tears were reduced to sniffles, then hiccups. She rubbed my back as I wiped the remaining tears from my eyes.

"Do you know what happened?" I asked Lydia.

"No, I-I don't. I think I might have been there, but I don't remember." She said, confusion evident in her voice.

I sat back and looked at her.

"My Dad wiped your memory too? What did I do?" I asked looking at her.

"Maybe he had a good reason," She said.

"But they told me that we wouldn't be keeping anymore secrets. They have been keeping this from me and I don't even know when this happened."

My heart was aching and I couldn't take it. More tears streamed down my face and Lydia pulled me back into her arms. That's how the afternoon went, me coddled in my girlfriend's arms, crying into her shoulder. My chest ached from the heartache and betrayal. But the worst was yet to come, now I had to act like none of this even happened. I had to face them and act like everything was fine.

Nothing was fine, and the heartache still remained.


	23. What Comes Next

"Mr. Bane, our tactical team picked up on a unique heat signature. It's coming from the southern portion of California, but it matches that of a warlock. The said warlock hasn't documented their reason for being in the state, nor have they contacted us of their being here in the first place. We think they must be the one responsible for the attack on the institute. If you could report to the battle room as soon as you get this message, that would be greatly appreciated."

The voicemail ended with a click. My dads sat next to me both looking to me with expectant gazes.

"Do you think the pack is ready to take on this mission." Bubba asked standing up from his seat.

"Yeah, they've faced other things that make this seem minor. I think they will be fine." I believed the words I was saying, but my heart was still racing. I thought about the fact that I was sending my best friends into battle and not only that but my girlfriend too. 

I also thought about the fact that my parents had wiped my memory who knows how long ago. That was weighing pretty hard on my heart, but I wasn't going to drop that on them now.

"Do you want to come to the briefing? It will probably take around a couple hours to debrief, devise a plan, and then pull the teams together." Dad asked, taking my hands into his own.

I looked at our hands and shook my head. 

"I think I'm gonna go over and talk to Lydia. I may stay over, so don't wait up." I said squeezing Dad's hands and giving Bubba a hug.

"We will fill you in tomorrow so you can talk to the pack about the plan. Love you." Dad said as I made my way to my room.

I gave them a wave in response and closed the door to my room, pressing my back to the wood. I hated acting like everything was alright when in my mind everything was imploding. I quickly put some clothes in a bag and opted to walk to Lydia's house.

~~~

By the time I made it Lydia's house, the night had begun to cool off and the California heat was bearable. The sun was still setting and seemed to set the landscape on fire.

I knocked on her front door and waited for her answer. Instead of Lydia, Mrs. Martin answered.

"Oh, hello Savannah." She said, not looking too pleased to see me.

"Hi, Mrs. Martin." I said glancing over her shoulder when I saw a glimpse of strawberry blond hair.

"I'm just here to hang out with Lyds." I said with a small smile. The look she was giving me made me feel small.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow that." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. I was taken back by the hostility I was feeling.

I saw Lydia over her shoulder, her eyes looked puffy and red. She looked worse for wear.

"May I ask why?"

"Well, I know about your relationship with my daughter." She said squinting at me, almost as is I was a sample in a lab being inspected.

"She's my friend, so I'm not understanding what you mean." I said, desperate to sound calm and collected.

"Well, that may be how you play it off, but I don't think so. You see, she left her phone unlocked and your messages were open. Now, I'm not usually one to pry, but I felt inclined to do so. The messages sent between you two can't be described as platonic. I will not allow that kind of behavior in my home and I believe that it all stems from you." She said, seeming to not feel any emotions about what she was saying.

I heard sniffles from behind her and I could see Lydia looking at me over her mom's shoulder.

"Mrs. Martin, I'm not sure what you think you saw, but I can assure you that my relationship with Lydia is purely platonic." I said with a smile. 

My mind was racing, my heart was aching, and I felt like any moment the world was going to open up and swallow me whole.

"Well no matter the case, you are no longer allowed in my house. You are no longer allowed near Lydia and if I find that you still find a way to speak to her, I will take legal action." Mrs. Martin finished and I could hear the quite sobs coming from inside.

"Mrs. Martin, if we could just sit down, talk, and be rational about this-" I started to say, but my voice cracked. My emotions were coming through. I was trying to put up a strong front, but my façade was wavering.

"Savannah, I think it would be best if you just went home." Mrs. Martin began to close the door and as the door shut in my face and I heard her shoes shuffle away from the door. I stood there in shock when I heard a thump from the other side of the door.

Sorrowful wails filled my ears.

"I-I'm sorry. Why! Why!" Lydia wailed. Hearing the pain and anguish in her voice struck a chord in me. I could feel the electricity coursing through my veins more prominently now. I took a deep breath and tried to steady myself.

I fell to my knees in front of the door, Lydia was still wailing inside the house. I pulled my stele out and drew a visibility rune on the door. The wood paneling began to fade away, and then I could see Lydia. Her once vibrant green eyes were shrouded by the puffiness and redness of her eyes from crying.

"Lyds," I whispered.

Her head whipped towards the sound of my voice. She looked up the stairs, where her mother presumably escaped to after causing this ordeal, and slowly crawled over to the door.

"I had to see you one last time." I said looking at her, studying every detail of her face.

"Why do you sound like you may never see me again?" She asked, her voice raspy from her crying.

"I was coming to ask that you not come on the mission. The task team says they'll be ready by tomorrow night. I'll inform the rest of the pack, but I don't want to see you get hurt." I said looking at her through the door. 

She shook her head, "I want to do this with you. I want to be there."

"Your mom hates me as it is, I can't let you get hurt." I said, placing my hand on the door. Though the door was transparent, the physical barrier was still there. She looked at my palm and placed hers on mine from the other side of the door.

"I want you to know that meeting you and having you in my life has been so good to me. You have been so good for me, and for that I am so grateful." I said, tears starting to make tracks down my face.

"Savannah, please," Lydia began to sniffle as more tears slid down her cheeks.

"I love you Lydia Martin, and that I why I have to do this." I looked her in her eyes as I began to stand from the porch.

"Sav, I love you too. Please don't leave me." She began to cry as I walked off of her porch and back towards the institute.

Two places. Two places where I once felt safe, now only connected with heartache.

I could hear her sobs as I exited her yard and it's a sound that will forever hurt me, but I had to go.

I didn't tell her where the pack was meeting for the mission. I want to protect her. I need to protect her.

This is all out of love.


	24. Heartbreak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a look on Lydia's perspective of what happened in the previous chapter. This is from her point of view after Savannah leaves.

The wood of the door was no longer transparent. I could hear Savannah's footsteps fading as she walked away from the door. I cried, it was the only reaction my body could pull together. I cried. I screamed. I wailed. I was suffering, my chest ached at the lost. The love of my life, torn away by my mother.

I heard her come back down the stairs.

"Oh get up Lydia." She said, once my wails had simmered down to sniffles.

I took deep ragged breaths, staring at my knees. I don't remember falling to the floor, but now I was kneeling by the door. I was staring at the door, willing it to become transparent again and to see Savannah on the other side.

"Get up. Lydia, you can't just stay on the floor." My mom grabbed my arm and attempted to pull me up.

"Let go, let me go!" I yelled pulling my arm from her grasp. I stood on shaking legs as I turned to look at my mother.

"Who do you think you are yelling at?" she looked at me and a look of disdain on her face.

"I'm yelling at you. You should be happy I'm not screeching."I said walking away from her and making my way up the stairs.

My head was pounding from the crying and screaming. I could hear her following me and I tried to tune her out.

"I don't understand this reaction. You were with Jackson, you broke up, and you survived. You made a mistake and that's okay. Maybe when Jackson comes back for a visit, you two could talk." She said giving me a look.

"Mistake?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"This whole Savannah thing. She pulled you into this gay thing. You are straight, you have always been straight, and nothing will change that." She said, casually fixing her hair in my mirror.

She turned back towards me and I felt my stomach churn.

"The reason Jackson and I didn't work was because he realized he was gay. Savannah was not a mistake. She is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. We lost Allison and Aiden and they were both so meaningful to me. You don't get to come in here and say I made a mistake. If anything I made the best choice, and you need to see that." As I was talking, I was moving forward causing my mother to back up.

Soon she was at the threshold of my door. 

"When you pull your ignorant head out of your ass, then come back and talk to me." I said before slamming the door in her face and locking it. It took a few moments before I heard her slowly walk away from the door.

The moment her footsteps faded, so did my tough act. My legs buckled and more tears came. Savannah was going to battle and I had no idea how to get to her to help. I cried out of fear for the girl I love, then I started to cry at the prospect of never seeing her again.

"She will be okay. I will be okay. We will be okay." I repeated these three sentences like a mantra.

Soon the fatigue took over and I fell asleep on the floor by my door, Savanah still in my mind.

We will be okay.


	25. Mission Status: Go

I strapped my stele to my belt, the angelic power slowly pulsating through its handle. I shook out my hands , small blue sparks flew off my fingertips. The task team was gearing up as well, seraph blades glinted under the fluorescent lights. Scott, Stiles, Malia, Ryder and Liam all stood around waiting for orders. Bubba was speaking to the tactical leader while Dad stood at his side.

"Where's Lydia?" Scott whispered in my ear.

"She's not coming." I said, facing forward.

"Why not? You were adamant on her training." Malia asked.

"She got cold feet. I wasn't going to force her to do this." I said, keeping my voice level. I know that the pack could hear my heartbeat- I was lying through my teeth. I could keep my voice even and steady, but my body always betrays me.

I could still hear her cries and wails in my ears. I took in a deep breath and shook out my hands, the characteristic blue sparks flying off of my fingertips.

"Okay everyone, everything has been set up. Savannah will lead her team in first, the rest of us will be there for counter surveillance. Anything moves, you react." The task team leader instructed.

The pack looked odd in our group, all of the shadowhunters held seraph blades and witchlights. Additionally, some had thigh holsters with knives- like Bubba 

I know that Liam, Scott, and Malia had their claws and fangs. Stiles was armed with a metal baseball bat and Ryder had the fire running in her veins, but they all still felt so vulnerable to me.

My stele was stashed in my waistband and I had a seraph blade strapped to my thigh. I didn't have to worry about hair in my face, which is something most of the women in the room couldn't say. Lydia wouldn't have had that problem.

I shook my head, I can't go on this mission with her in my head.

"Wait, I'd like to join!" I turned to see the newest addition to the Institute, Dylan, running our way. I nodded as a greeting and soon the team was dispersed and the mission had begun.

"So, you decided just now to go on this mission?" I asked Dylan, walking down the sidewalk beside him.

"This warlock hurt the heads of the institute, I have to do my part." He replied, I noticed that he said warlock with a sneer.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I don't know what you mean." He responded.

"You said warlock like it was something disgusting." I said looking at him, which was hard seeing as he was a few heads taller than me.

"It's just, as Nephilim, we are superior. We have angel blood running in our veins. They, they are disgusting demon blooded creatures." He said, glancing back to the pack.

I took a step back and just looked at him.

"Are you serious? Is this just some sort of genocide mission for you?" I looked at him, fear creeping into my mind.

"Well, this is a Clave sponsored mission. It just so happens that I may get to kill the dirty warlock." He said, almost sneering.

"Okay, I've heard enough. You can't come on this mission. I won't feed your desire to kill just to kill." I said placing my hand on his chest and giving him a firm push back.

"You're kidding right?" Dylan said.

"I'm not, so you should go back to the institute. You're off this mission." I said looking him in the eyes.

We stared each other down, the other Nephilim walked ahead of us. The pack stopped walking a few steps behind Dylan and I. They watched as I stared down Dylan.

"Fine. I'll go, good luck on the mission." Dylan said. There was no sincerity in his voice. He backed up from me and shouldered his way through the pack.

"What's that guy's problem?" Malia asked walking up with the rest of the pack.

"He's just one of the few Nephilim that have an agenda for a downworlder genocide." I said, taking in a deep breath and pulling my shoulders back.

They all just gave small nods and then we continued to make our way down the sidewalk.

~~

The building was abandoned and the task team was spread around the perimeter of the building. It was an abandoned hotel and it looked like the place was in shambles.

"Okay. Savannah's team will enter in the front entrance, Magnus will take the side entrance, and I will take the back entrance." I could hear Bubba's voice in my ear piece.

I nodded to the pack and then drew an unlocking rune on the door. The door swung open and we crept inside. I held up my witchlight stone and the space ahead of us was lit up in the angelic light. The pack walked tight behind me and we all watched out for anything that could come our way.

"Savannah to task team, so far everything is clear. The next team should be able to come through," I spoke into the microphone strapped to my earpiece.

I heard Bubba and Dad confirm and move forward.

"We have reason to believe that there are multiple warlocks in the building. We are reading multiple heat signatures." I heard the task team member in my ear.

As he finished I heard the sound of combat beginning and then the yells of the nephilim as they began to fight.

"Savannah, keep your team out of the fight and go find the warlock!" I heard Bubba in my ear.

"Copy." I said and relayed the message to the team.

"Do we know what this warlock looks like?" Scott whispered to me.

"No, but we know he would send others before he gets his hands dirty." I said as we all kept moving into the building.

As we made our way upstairs, the only sounds that could be heard was the fighting downstairs. I quickly drew a sight rune on my arm to enhance my eyesight in the dark room. As I looked up from my arm, I saw a person run to the next room. I held up my witchlight and gestured to the pack to follow me and to keep quiet.

I glanced behind me and I could see the glowing eyes of Malia, Stiles, Ryder, and Liam. They all looked intimidating and powerful. Stiles held his baseball bat with an iron grip. I walked towards the room that I saw the figure run too.

The darkness seemed to get darker somehow. Must be a spell. My sight rune proved ineffective with the newfound darkness. I could just make out the figure standing in the distance. I lifted my witchlight and the figure was just out of range.

"In the name of the angel Raziel and the authority of the Clave, I order you to stand down and come with me." I called out in the most authoritative voice I could muster.

"Silly girl. I don't care about you and your silly clave and your laws. I just wanted to bring you and your friends here." The warlock said in return.

"Step into the witchlight so I can take you in." I said, moving forward.

As I moved forward I heard a whimper and it almost looked like I saw a glimpse of strawberry blonde hair. I faltered in my steps, but I tried to play it off.

"I saw that. You think you saw something, right?" He said, almost taunting.

She's not here. She's at home. She's safe. I told myself.

When I shifted the witchlight up I saw the face of the warlock and a hostage he had with him. My breath hitched in my throat. They were faces I recognized. I was looking into the cold hard eyes of Dylan as he held Lydia in a chokehold with a blade to her neck.

My blood ran cold in my veins as my witchlight toppled from my hand. Any confidence I had was gone and I was stuck in my tracks.

This just became more complicated.


	26. Destroyed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: There is mention of blood in this chapter

She was safe. She was safe. She was safe.

I repeated it in my mind as if that would make me see something else. There she was, his arm wrapped around her throat, her hair matted to her head with sweat and his knife held up to her throat.

"Let her go." I said in a calm, level voice.

"You are in no position to demand anything of me." He said, pushing the blade into Lydia's skin. A bead of blood burst from behind the knife and Lydia winced in pain.

"Hey, hey, hey. Let's talk about this!" I yelled out.

All thoughts of being strong were out the window. The sounds of the battle around us faded as I honed in on Lydia.

"I see I have something you hold dear." Dylan laughed.

"Let her go," I heard Scott say as he stepped up beside me. His claws were out and his eyes glowed a vibrant red.

"Now, now. I just want to have some fun." Dylan said moving towards us, Lydia still tight in his grasp.

My witchlight was still laying on the floor, casting strange shadows around the room. When Dylan moved, the shadows seemed to move around him.

"Why did you pose as a nephilim?" I asked, never taking my eyes off of him and Lydia.

"I just wanted to see what I could stir up. Being a warlock can be boring sometimes." Dylan said, pressing the knife harder into Lydia's skin. She let out a small whimper and I could then see that she was shaking.

"How did you bear the runes?" I asked him, truly curious.

"A mere glamour spell can fool anyone." Dylan responded almost nonchalantly. 

I just nodded and assessed the situation. Scott and the pack were ready to fight, I knew they were waiting for my call.

"Lyds, look at me." I said taking my eyes away from Dylan and looking her straight in the eye.

She looked at me and the fear in her eyes was heart wrenching. 

"I love you." I said looking her dead in the eye. As she held my eye contact, I drew out my seraph blade.

She nodded at my words, eyes misty with tears.

"I will love you forever." With that, I rushed forward and pushed my seraph blade at Dylan.

He easily side stepped my attack and kicked me in my leg. I stumbled before I regained my footing. He still held tightly to Lydia but the knife was now being plunged into my leg.

I cried out as he removed the knife from my calf. I heard roars as Scott and the pack rushed to attack him. He quickly threw Lydia to the floor as he began to fight the pack. My leg burned as blood leaked out from the wound.

Lydia was unconscious on the ground. Her head was bleeding from the contact to with ground. I grabbed my stele and quickly drew on a iratze rune to heal my leg. The wound quickly mended itself, and then I grasped my seraph blade and rejoined the fight.

Dylan was easily evading all of the attacks from the pack and they were running out of ways to attack him.

"I thought this would be a lot more fun." He mumbled as he side stepped Stiles and his bat, easily pushing the mundane into the wall. The sounds of seraph blades filled my ears as I remembered the fight the other Nephilim were engaged in.

Dylan then snapped his fingers and then the sounds stopped. An eerie silence fell over the building.

"What did you do?" I asked, my voice bouncing off of the walls.

"I'm bored, so I just killed my minions. Your teams are all bruised and bloodied from the fight. It's no fun if people aren't dying." He said as if we had bummed him out.

I looked around the room. The pack was scattered around the room, they looked battered but nothing fatal. I looked to Lydia and saw that she was awake, but her eyes looked glassy. It was as if she wasn't there. I moved my stele over my iratze rune to activate the healing to take away the remnants of my pain.

"You Nephilim are no fun to me." Dylan sat on an overturned table and eyed me along with the rest of the pack. I heard the tactical team talking in my ear, assessing injuries and whereabouts.

"Savannah. Come in Savannah. We need your location." I heard Bubba in my ear. Somewhere in the background I heard Dad fussing over wounds and chanting healing spells, even though they were all capable of using runes. Sometimes nephilim just wanted to be doted on.

I didn't answer. I was focused on Dylan, trying to figure out his next move, trying to figure out my next move. My seraph blade was still in my hands. I was still standing.

"How about you fight me. One-on-One. No magic, no runes, just combat. All you wanted was a fight, right?" I said walking towards Dylan. Bubba was still talking in my ear, so I decided to take out the ear piece. I discreetly pressed the microphone- he could hear everything, but I couldn't hear him.

"Sounds like good fun! Finally something to do." He said hopping up from where he sat. A look of glee seemed to take over his features at the promise of a fight.

"Ok, then we fight." I said taking in a deep breath.

I quickly glanced around the room. The pack was awake, but none of them made a move to join the fight- they knew it was mine to fight.

Lydia's eyes no longer looked glassy. She had moved so she was leaning against a wall. There was still a small trickle of blood from the puncture in her neck and her head was still bleeding from the impact of hitting the ground, but nothing major. She was still breathing and that was all I cared about. 

Strange shadows were cast around the room as Dylan and I walked in a circle, scoping out each other. My witchlight seemed to shine brighter as we moved around the room.

"May the best fighter win," Dylan said as he mockingly bowed to me.

I merely nodded and raised my seraph blade. Dylan pulled out twin daggers. Two small, agile blades in comparison to my one large swift one. We both took a beat and then lunged at each other.

The room was filled with the sound of metal clashing and grunts as the two of us exerted our energy into the fight. I was focused, swing my blade in calculated swings being sure to avoid being cut myself.

There was a slit as I cut Dylan on the side of his face. The wound began to bleed down his cheek. He didn't seem fazed by the wound, if anything he was spurred on.

Soon his attacks seemed to become faster and it was harder to land blows seeing as I was trying to avoid the two blades. I began to backtrack as his swings were coming closer to my torso. Soon my back was against a wall and I was holding both blades off with my Seraph blade. Dylan pushed so my own blade was mere inches away from my neck.

Then I made a fatal mistake; I blinked.

The moment I blinked, Dylan quickly took one blade and plunged it into my abdomen. The blow knocked the air out of me and I began to sputter, feeling blood seep between my lips. There was a sickening sound as he removed the knife and the blood began to stream out. He leered at me as he kicked at my leg and forced it inwards, effectively breaking it.

"Agh!" I yelled out, falling down onto my good leg. He held the power now, standing over me. I pressed a hand to my wound to try and suppress the bleeding. My mind was blanking on healing spells and my stele was across the room.

Dylan merely tilted his head at me, watching as I winced with every breath. My mouth tasted of copper as more blood came up.

"How could you hurt me? A fellow warlock." I asked, but it came out as a pathetic whimper.

"You are merely a half breed that the world will not miss." Dylan replied. With that, he stabbed me again, straight below my lungs- aiming for my lungs.

I heard the pack grunting and trying to reach me.

"Don't bother trying to stand. When I beat you down, I placed a spell on you that makes your mere bodies as heavy as lead." Dylan said, almost gloating. He kneeled down in front of me and held my jaw.

"Too bad you're a half breed, you had potential." 

He then shoved me back and at that angle, I could barely draw in a breath. I could feel the blood seeping into my lungs. My leg was broken and I could only watch as he walked over and stomped on the tip of my stele. The angelic power seeping out onto the floor.

He then moved over and picked up my witchlight and made his way to Lydia. He took his dagger and stuck it into her thigh. She screamed out and began to cry.

"Something to remember me by." He said walking to the middle of the room.

"It's been fun." He said and then he created a portal and stepped through. The portal closed and the room was plunged into darkness. My blood was seeping through my fingers and his spell was still keeping the pack down. My breaths were becoming short and rapid. Around the room I could hear the pack straining and Lydia crying from the pain of her leg.

I took a deep breath in and screamed as loud as I could.

Bubba and Dad would come, they had to. We were broken, we had been defeated and destroyed. I leaned my head back and gave up on applying pressure to my wounds. The blood still dribbled from my lips as I whispered into the darkness.

"I love you Lydia Martin."

I was then pulled into the darkness of unconsciousness as footsteps made there way into the room and a familiar cry of my name echoed around the room.


	27. Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is brief mention of blood.

When your body is in immense pain, its response is to shut down and assess the damage. In most cases, the injured person passes out from the trauma to the body. My injuries were severe. I heard the muffled voices of people around me, but what they were saying was a mystery. I could feel pressure being put on my two stab wounds. My leg was throbbing and felt like it was on fire.

The voices around me began to become recognizable.

"Why can't you just draw one of those rune things on her?" I heard Stiles ask.

There was a pause then a deep sigh.

"We don't know exactly what Dylan did to her. If the blades were tainted, a rune could make things worse." I heard Bubba answer. It sounded like he was by my broken leg.

"Love, you need to hold her for this." I heard Bubba state, presumably to Dad. I then felt gentle yet shaking hands grasp me around my upper body. My mind was pretty foggy, so I couldn't put together what was about to happen.

There was the sound of shuffling feet and then someone took my right hand and another person was holding my left hand. The hold was firm and it worried me. Before I could even think of anything else, my leg was pulled back into place with an audible snap.

"Aghhhh," My eyes flew open at the pain and tears brimmed in my eyes. Dad held me still as Bubba splinted my leg. I saw Scott and Stiles at my side holding my hands. Malia was standing a few feet away with Ryder and Liam.

I didn't see Lydia. 

"W-where's Lydia?" I managed to get out. The pain throbbing from my leg was radiating through my body.

I glanced around as my friends frowned at my pain.

"She's being checked out. We want to make sure Dylan didn't leave a spell on her." Dad said, still holding onto my torso tightly.

"We should move her up to the clinic." Bubba said, still holding my leg steady. Dad nodded and gently let go of me. Scott sat behind me to let me lean on him in the absence of dad. Dad came back moments later with a gurney.

"We need to lift her up now, but be gentle." Dad said moving back towards me, taking over where Scott was leaving. The stab wounds in my abdomen were still bleeding and the blood was seeping through the bandages that had been applied.

"Magnus, she's bleeding through the dressing on her abdomen. We need to move now." Bubba sounded frantic now.

"Dad, my head. I feel dizzy." I said as the room seemed to begin to tilt.

"She's losing too much blood." Dad said, holding tight to me.

"On my count. 1,2,3," and on three my body was hoisted onto the gurney. I groaned as my body came in contact with the cushions on the gurney. With the sudden movement, my dizziness increased and soon nausea became an issue.

"'m gonna vomit." I said. Nobody could move fast enough because seconds later I was vomiting down the front of my shirt.

"Oh, my love." Dad said, running his fingers through my hair. The gurney began to move as they transported me to the medical wing. I could vaguely see the pack following us as we moved down the hall.

My head was spinning, so I closed my eyes and soon everything faded away as I slipped into unconsciousness.

~~~~

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The heart monitor relayed the steady sound of my heartbeat throughout the room. I pried my eyes open, which was a task in itself. My body felt weak and the mere task of opening my eyes felt like it exerted most of my energy.

My throat was dry and I would die for some water. I looked over at the seat in the room and saw Bubba. He wore a battered navy blue sweater and some dark jeans. His raven hair was haphazard, probably from sleep and his habit of running his hands through his hair. Beside him, a cot had been laid out and Dad was laying there.

Dad was clad in a read sweater and some of his sleep pants. I smiled at them, they were clearly exhausted, yet even in sleep they were holding hands. It was a loose grip, but just enough for them to feel each others presence.

I coughed, which caused pain to radiate through my body. I let out a low groan at the feeling.

Dad and Bubba both shot up at the sounds coming from the bed. They looked exhausted but their eyes were filled with joy.

"Hey, love." Bubba said standing up from the chair. Dad pulled himself up from the cot and they both made their way over to me.

"Hi," I croaked out. My voice was hoarse and my throat was dry.

"Alec, grab the water. She must be so thirsty." Dad said gesturing to the pitcher of water by the end of my bed. As I glanced down to the end of the bed, I noticed the cast that encased my entire leg. Bubba brings a cup of water to my lips and I quickly gulp down the water.

Dad chuckles as he wipes a stray drop of water from my chin.

"I haven't seen her this ravenous since her toddler years," Bubba says taking the cup and sitting it on the bedside table.

"Where is the pack?" I asked them looking at both of them.

Dad runs his fingers through my short hair as he looks at me with fondness in his eyes.

"They are waiting in the suite. They were exhausted, but they refused to go home." Dad said with a small smile.

"You have some amazing friends. You also have an amazing girlfriend who has not left the medical wing." Bubba said.

I smile at the thought of my friends and Lydia waiting to see how I feel.

"Can you bring Lydia in? Then we can deal with the whole pack." I said with a huff of a laugh.

"Well, I guess we just aren't enough for her anymore Alec. She gets a girlfriend and some new friends and she wants to just abandon us." Dad says, which causes Bubba and I to laugh.

"You know that nobody can replace you guys." I say squeezing their hands.

"We know that sweetie." Bubba said leaning down to place a kiss on my forehead. They both move to the door and they gesture outside of the doorframe. Seconds later, Lydia limps in. She is clad in a sundress. On her thigh, I can see the lump of where the dressings have been placed on her wound.

Dad and Bubba exit the room and close the door behind them.

At the sight of her, my emotions take over. I feel the tears well up in my eyes and I try to push myself up in the bed. The pain radiates from the stab wounds and my leg, but I push it to the back of my mind.

I reached both arms out and Lydia made her way over to me and fell into my arms. With feeling her in my arms, I began to sob in her shoulder.

"Shhhhhh, it's okay." Lydia whispered into my hair as I continued to sob.

"It's okay. I'm okay. I'm here." She continued to talk and soon my sobs were nothing but sniffles. Soon we were just sitting there, her holding me in her arms.

I took deep breaths as I pulled myself together. I moved over in the bed and Lydia laid beside me. I pulled her face close to mine and kissed her with all the energy I could muster. She smiled as she pulled my head closer.

When we leaned back, I placed kisses on her shoulders and she just huffed out a laugh.

"You are okay. You are okay. You are okay." I kept repeating those three words.

She just nodded as we held each other in the bed.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked her.

"It's been about 2 and a half days. You lost a lot of blood." She said as she rested her chin on my head.

I just nodded and then we just laid in a comfortable silence. We shared small kisses every so often and soon I could hear the shuffling of feet coming close to the door.

"There's the pack." Lydia said.

Seconds later, Stiles, Scott, Ryder, Liam, and Malia walked through the door. All looking exhausted but relieved to see I was okay. They all took their turn coming over and giving me a hug. They stayed around and we talked and they tried to take my mind off of everything.

All the while, Lydia stayed by my side in the bed. Even when the rest of the pack left, she stayed the night and we never let go of each other.

Having her in my arms, I could let myself know that she was okay.

She's what kept me fighting. Thats the power of an anchor. That's the power of love.


	28. Rehabilitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Savannah deals with the pain and progress or rehab. Magnus and Alec have a conversation and Savannah overhears.

"Dad, I can walk on my own," I said as Dad steadied my shoulders and Bubba spotted us from behind me.

They had insisted that I use crutches or a wheelchair, but I refused. I insisted that I could walk, which is how I ended up with two worried dads helping me to my room.

The cast on my leg had been removed and replaced with a boot. I would have the boot for about a month and then we could test out healing runes and spells. Healing the mundane way was truly a long process.

Dad and Bubba had discussed physical therapy for my leg, but once again I insisted that I was fine. They agreed, but were worried nonetheless.

I made my way to my bed and plopped myself down. I then looked up to see my dads looking at me with worry in their eyes.

"I'm fine. Lydia is coming over, the institute is still on high alert, and you guys are down the hall." I said looking between the two.

In the weeks since the incident, Lydia had become a regular face around the institute. She was known to have clearance to the wing with the suite, she was all but royalty- being my girlfriend and all.

"We just want to make sure that you don't hurt yourself." Bubba said, smoothing down my hair. I leaned away from the touch.

"I'm fine. You can go to work, both of you." I said eyeing dad.

"Okay, we'll go. Just call if you need us." He said raising his hands in defeat. He and Bubba left my room and shut the door.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Now that I was out of the medical wing, my mind was back to thinking about the fact that they wiped my memory and have yet to tell me about it. I moved so I was further under my duvet and closed my eyes. Soon exhaustion set in and I was asleep.

~

Knock Knock

The knocking on my bedroom door stirred me from my impromptu nap. I pried my eyes open and saw the late sun setting. I rolled over and felt the extra weight of my boot brushing against my opposite leg.

I heard the slight sound of my door being opened.

"Sav?" I heard Lydia whisper.

"hnng?" I managed to groan out.

I heard the shuffling of her taking off her shoes and then her weight under the covers with me. She wrapped her arm around my waist and nuzzled her face into my neck.

"Mmm, hello." I said, becoming more aware of her presence.

"Hey," she said, her voice muffled in my neck.

We laid there in silence for a while before I decided to roll over and face her. I looked to see her hazel eyes blazing with the setting sun.

"How are you?" I asked looking over her face.

"I've seen better days. My mom is a nightmare, school sucks without you, and I haven't slept well all week." She responded, as if these weren't things to be concerned with.

"Lyds, you know you can talk to me right?" I said, smoothing her hair down.

She nodded as she pushed her head into the palm of my hand, almost like a cat.

There was a pause before I asked, "How is it in your house with your mom?"

She seemed to tense at the mentioning of her mother. She took a deep breath and looked into my eyes. I felt like she was looking into my soul, into my heart.

"She's a nightmare. She refuses to admit that I like girls, everything I do is under constant scrutiny. Of course, she doesn't know I'm here with you, she thinks I'm with Stiles studying."

She said all of this with sadness evident in her voice. I know that her and her mom never had the closest relationship, but I know this newest development threw a wrench in things; I threw a wrench in things.

"I'm sorry." I said, barely above a whisper.

She gave me a small smile and leaned in to give me a kiss. She pressed her lips to mine and for a moment everything faded away. Her hands holding my face, my hands finding a comfortable resting place on her waist. We pulled away and for a moment we laid there, foreheads pressed together.

"Have you talked to your dads yet?" She asked, her voice low as if she didn't want to disturb the atmosphere.

Instead of answering her, I nuzzle my face into the junction between her neck and shoulder. I groan and just stay there. She runs her fingers through my short strands of hair.

"Sav, you can't keep this inside anymore." She said, placing a kiss to the top of my head.

I feel my motions build up in my chest and before I can say anything, tears start to make their way down my cheeks.

"They never keep secrets from me. W-what did I do? Who did I hurt?" I sob into Lydia. She just lays there and holds me while I cry. I hold onto her with a force so strong it's as if I hold her any lighter, she'll disappear.

"Don't worry. Whatever happened, they erased everyone's memory. They have to answer for what they did. When you ask them, I'll be there with you." Lydia says, holding onto me and gently rocking us side to side.

Soon enough I fall asleep in her grasp and the day turns into night and I get a good night rest in my own bed.

~~

"Aghh!" I groan out in pain. The doctor is rotating my ankle after removing my boot. My leg was so stiff, Dad signed me up for a 2 hour rehab session.

"Okay Savannah, I need you to push down." The doctor said holding my foot in his hand. I pushed down onto his hand and gritted my teeth as sharp pain shot up my leg.

"Why can't I just use a rune?" I ask the doctor, looking at him with some kind of anticipation in my eyes.

"Your dads want you to heal the mundane way. Plus, your stele was broken and I don't think anyone else should activate your iratze but you." He said as he gently put my leg down.

We had been going through small exercises for an hour, and there was still an hour to go.

"Alright, let's move on." He said helping me up from the chair that had been my friend for the past hour. I looked up to see Bubba, Dad, and Lydia watching me from the window overlooking the rehab portion of the medical wing.

I grimaced in an attempt to smile up at them. My grimace caused a look of pain to cross Dad's face as he watched me limp to the next exercise. The next hour was filled with pain and progress, but mostly pain.

By the time rehab was finished, my skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat as I collapsed in my friend, the chair. Lydia came down with a pair of crutches and a smile on her face. She had gotten a hair cut a few days ago. The sides of her hair were tapered closer to her face and the hair on top of her head seemed fuller.

"You did great!" She said as she reached my resting spot.

She leaned down and placed a small kiss to my lips. I just smiled as I placed the crutches under my arms and began the journey to get back to the suite.

"Magnus, when are you going to talk to Savannah?" I heard Bubba's voice coming from one of the rooms in the corridor.

I stopped moving, knowing the sound of my crutches would give me away; no other nephilim healed the mundane way.

"I don't know Alec, so much has happened. I think we should wait until she is fully healed from her injuries." I heard Dad respond.

Lydia was listening beside me, her eyes widening as she looked to me.

"Go in there," she mouthed to me.

I shook my head no as I continued to listen.

"If she asks around and realizes she has a gap in her memory, she will put the pieces together Magnus. The moment she realizes what we did and that we didn't tell her, she will push us away." I hear Bubba pleading.

"If I remember correctly, it was you and Clave who made this decision. I was just there to use my magic!" Dad yelled. I felt the surge of energy that came off of him and I could only imagine what he looked like; in Bubba's face, feline eyes glowing, and his jaw set with frustration.

There was a pause where neither of them said anything. Then Dad broke the silence.

"Fine, I'll tell her. You better be ready to pick up the pieces." He said, I heard him getting his things together.

Lydia tugged on my arm, silently beckoning me to start moving, but I was frozen to my spot.

They are still trying to keep up the act and not tell me.

I felt the anger surging through me and the electricity soon followed. Lydia jumped back as a spark jumped from my arm and up her own arm. Dad walked out of the room and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me.

"Savannah," He started, but I didn't give him a chance to finish. I let the levee break and tears flowed down my face. For the first time since my birthday, I let my powers surge out of me. The shockwaves rocked my body as I let it all out. The force knocked Lydia to the ground and Dad had to steady himself on his feet.

"What did you do to me? What did I do?" I all but yelled at him. I threw my crutches to the ground and collapsed against the wall, all my energy depleted and my body weak.

Dad slowly walked up to me and sat beside me on the floor. I could see people peeking their heads around the corner, looking for the source of all the energy that just poured through the instiute. Bubba was standing in the doorway that Dad had come out of.

"What aren't you telling me?" I cried as Dad pulled me into his arms and he seemed to absorb the remaining energy as my vision became blurry around the edges.

"I will explain everything my love. Just give your body some time to recharge. I sagged in his arms as my body gave into the emotional exhaustion.


	29. Healing Unseen Wounds

When I came to, I was laying on my bed. Lydia was at my side, running her fingers through my hair. She would gently trace my face with her hand, but other than that there were no other movements.

"How did I get in here?" I asked her, turning to face her.

"Alec carried you in. He and Magnus are sitting in the living room." She said, no whispered.

"Why are you whispering?"

"Your dads were talking earlier, so I thought it would be best to stay quiet." She replied.

"So you were eavesdropping," I whispered with a smile.

"I just call it being very attentive." She huffed out a small laugh with her comment.

I smiled and closed my eyes. I rolled onto my back and pulled Lydia into my chest. She wrapped her arm around my stomach and we laid there, the only sound in the room being our even breaths.

"We have to talk to them, we can't just avoid them." Lydia said after a while.

I took in a deep breath, I knew she was right.

"I just don't know what I'm going to say to them."

"Just ask them to explain everything and put everything out there." Lydia said as she traced her hand up and down my side.

I huffed out a deep sigh.

"You're right."

I looked over to see a soft smile on Lydia's face.

"You're gonna be there with me, right?" I asked looking into her eyes.

"I'll be right by your side. This involves me too. I want to know what they don't want us to remember." She said moving to sit up.

We both sat up and I shuffled my way to the foot of the bed. I stood up, slightly shifting my weight. I grabbed my crutches and soon Lydia was by my side.

"You ready to do this?" She asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. I gave her a nod and then we proceeded to head down the hallway.

My heart was pounding, the last time I was this nervous I was about to come out to my parents.

The sound of my crutches was the only thing that reminded me that I was moving down the hallway.

By the time we reached the threshold of the living room, I could feel my chest tightening with anxiety.

I took another deep breath and we started towards the couches. Dad and Bubba were sitting on one of the couches already and they looked like they had seen better days.

"Okay, I'm ready to talk." I said as I came into view in front of them.

The looked up quickly and I could see the worry flash in their eyes.

"O-okay. We can talk."

Lydia and I sat together on the couch and looked toward my dads. I looked between the two of them and all my anxiety disappeared and was soon replaced with anger.

"So who's idea was it? Who decided to wipe our memories?" I asked looking at them, the rage filling my chest.

"Well, it's not that simple." Bubba started.

"Oh, so you didn't wipe our memories, hide it, and never tell me." I said.

"Savannah, I know you're mad, but don't forget that we are your fathers and you still have to respect us." Dad said, sitting up straighter on the couch.

I huffed out a breath and I crossed my arms across my chest and sat back. Lydia shifted slightly beside me on the couch.

"Come on bug, you wanted to talk. We want to talk so you have to at least listen to what we have to say." Bubba said, a stern yet soft look in his eyes.

The air was getting thick with tension and soon filled with static energy. 

"Savannah, you need to calm down," Dad said, feeling the energy in the room change.

My blood was rushing in my ears and I could feel the electricity rising to the surface of my skin.

"No, I can't just calm down. You're hiding something from me and I'm a bit irritated," I said staring my fathers down.

Soon the energy became too much and a lightning like spark flew from my hand and landed between Dad and Bubba. It struck the couch and they both jumped away as the couch smoked from the strike.

"Savannah!" Lydia yelped out beside me.

I looked over to her, my rage pumping. I could feel my warlock mark blazing; I was staring her down with the feline eyes. She almost seemed to cower back from my gaze and I turned my gaze back to my fathers.

"Savannah Lightwood-Bane, don't you dare flash those eyes at me." Dad scolded, using his own feline eyes.

"Okay, we all need to calm down. This is getting nowhere." Bubba said as he moved back to the couch which had stopped smoking.

I stared down Dad and soon let my feline eyes fade, as did he.

"Fine, just explain." I said.

"Okay, so when we first came to Beacon Hills. Your powers were just coming in. You were just making friends and adjusting so well," Bubba started, turning to look at Dad who was fiddling with his wedding band.

"One day, there was an altercation at the school. A girl said something that ticked you off," at that Dad glanced at me and I shifted in my seat a bit, "You and the girl got a bit physical and she grabbed your arm. You released some of your energy and it went through the girls body.

"Your sparks attracted the attention of the students who were watching the fight." Dad took a breath and looked towards Lydia.

"Your, Scott, and the rest of the pack were there. When Savannah ran home, we knew something was wrong." Dad finished and looked to Bubba to pick up the story.

"I went to the clave before they could contact us. I asked them what we should do. They advised me that we should wipe your memory along with all of the students of the high school. They told us to just wipe the memory of the fight and fill in some gaps so that it wouldn't be all that noticeable." Bubba finished looking at the two of us.

I looked between them, they seemed to be telling the genuine truth. I thought back to my first weeks in Beacon Hills and how they seemed uneventful.

"So, I hurt someone and instead of teaching me how to control my powers, you just wiped the incident from my mind." I said in almost disbelief.

"We knew you would hate yourself if you knew you had hurt someone." Bubba said looking anxious at my reaction.

Lydia placed her hand on my shoulder and I looked to her and saw that she understood what had happened.

"It was an accident Sav, don't worry. You have more control now, you can make sure it doesn't happen again." She said staring me in my eyes.

I looked at her and felt the anger, disbelief and shock fade away. I never knew how much an anchor could impact my life, but Lydia seemed to hold my emotions in check and keep my reasoning level.

I looked back to my fathers who both had equally distressed looks on their faces.

"Okay, I understand why you did it. I understand the Clave's decision. I just wish that you had told me, instead of me finding out through overheard conversations." I said, sadness creeping into my voice.

"Oh honey, we wanted to tell you. We were just trying to find the right time to talk to you," Dad said moving forward and placing a comforting hand on my knee.

The small touch set in motion how I was feeling. It was like a damn burst and soon tears were falling down my face and I began sobbing. I looked through my teary gaze and saw Bubba running his hands through his hair and tugging on the ends, leaving it looking very haphazard.

"I'm so sorry bug. We aren't gonna keep things from you anymore." Bubba said when he looked up at me.

"You too Lydia, we promise to keep you in on the conversations and the truth." Dad said looking to Lydia who was watching quietly by my side.

She nodded and looked at all three of us.

"You guys love each other and this was a bump in the road. You guys are so strong and I'm happy to be a part of this." She said, nudging her head into my shoulder.

"We're happy that we have you in our lives Lydia. You have been there for Savannah and we are very grateful for that." Dad said looking at Lydia.

She gave him a smile and all of the tension seemed to disappear from the room. Bubba stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans.

"Okay, I'm gonna go pick up some Chinese food and we can have dinner together!" Bubba said moving to get his wallet and headed towards the door. We all agreed and soon he was out the door.

Things were finally back to normal in the house. All that was left was to find Dylan and catch him. Now that all of this was behind us, we could all move forward. We could all move towards taking Dylan down.


	30. Planning and Normalcy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter I reference a point that is from The Mortal Instruments book series. I won't spoil anything from the books, but it is used as a plot detail.

Trying to track down a warlock who didn't want to be found proved to be harder than we though. For weeks following our conversation, Bubba, Dad, Lydia, and I scoured Beacon Hills looking for any sign that he was still in town.

"I think we need to accept that he left Beacon Hills." Dad said, rubbing his hand down his face.

"If so, we need to contact the Clave." Bubba said, crossing his arms across his chest.

"I may have asked this before, but what is the Clave again?" Lydia asked looking between all of us.

"The Clave is the governing body over all Nephilim. They control the happenings between werewolves, vampires, seelies, warlocks, and nephilim." I explained.

She merely nodded and we looked back to the map of Beacon Hills. I scanned over the map and according to all the logged data, no unnatural anomalies had been recorded anywhere in or near Beacon Hills.

"What if we expanded the search to anomalies in neighboring towns, maybe even to the whole state of California." I said looking away from the map.

Dad and Bubba both nodded and typed in the new parameters. They expanded the map and soon there were markers popping up on the map.

"Looks like he decided to go to Santa Barbara and then Los Angeles. But why did he stop?" I asked while looking at his apparent route through the state.

"Maybe he found another institute to harass," I mumbled under my breath.

"You can joke all you want, but we need to find him before he starts a civil war in the downworld." Bubba said, his voice sounding weary at the thought.

"Hell knows we can't afford another war." Dad said, pain flashing in his eyes.

Lydia looked to me with a question evident in her gaze.

"Years ago there was a half demon, half nephilim who started a war. His name was Jonathan and he had a vendetta against a man named Valentine, Jace, and Clary; Savannah's aunt and uncle. There were many lives lost, including some family members." Dad explained, looking to Bubba. Bubba merely looked back to the map and seemed to be back to planning.

"Say he is trying to start a war, why come to Beacon Hills? He could have gone to the New York Institute." I said, thinking out loud.

"I hate to say it, but what if he was following Magnus and Alec." Lydia said, putting in her thoughts.

"That would make sense, Alec did lead the New York institute and I myself was once the High Warlock of Brooklyn." Dad said.

"He's a nephilim who hates downworlders. He probably hates that a nephilim is married to a warlock." I said, looking to my dads.

The room goes quiet for a moment and the only sound is that from the hum of the electronic monitors around us.

"Okay, so we need to come up with a plan to get him back here, arrest him, and turn him over to the clave." Dad said.

"Lets pull together another task force and devise a plan of attack." Bubba said, walking out to gather the people he needed.

Lydia and I made our way down to the sparring gym and there were a couple of nephilim training. Some of them chose seraph blades while others used bo staffs.

"Won't they injure each other badly if they use those blades?" Lydia asked looking to me.

"You forget that we have steles and runes that heal us," I said smiling at her genuine concern.

"Do you ever spar down there?"

Lydia moved towards me and wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her face into my shoulder.

"Sometimes, but I mostly just stick to bo staffs."

She nodded and we just remained silent while we watched the training.

"Can we go back to your room? I'm tired." Lydia asked.

I nodded and we made our way back to the residential wing. Soon we were at home and Lydia and I went to my room. She grabbed one of my shirts and went to the bathroom. She returned in my shirt and with no apparent pants on.

She lazily ran her hands through her hair and it fell haphazardly around her face. She made her way over to my bed where I was sitting and she crawled up beside me. She laid her head on my lap. Her shirt rode up a bit and I could see the scars from the wound from the night of the demon attack.

I looked away and just ran my hand up and down her back. We just laid there for a while and the sun was setting. The beams were streaming through the window and streaks of orange crossed the room.

"Do you think we will ever get a first date?" Lydia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I thought about everything that had happened since I got to Beacon Hills. We never had gone on our official first date, Dylan had messed up everything.

"I think we should do it before we find Dylan. We should have some sort of normalcy before he ruins everything for us.

"I agree."

We soon fell back into silence. I shifted so that I was laying down. Lydia moved so her head was on my chest. We stayed there and soon we both fell asleep to the sounds of each others breathing.

We had some calm. We just needed to establish some normalcy in our lives. I needed to establish some normalcy, Lydia could help me. We had to have our lives back before Dylan came and ripped everything apart.


End file.
